The next General Membership Meeting of Grand Clay Arts will be held on October 19, 2023, at 9:00 AM in the Hopi Room of Chaparral Center.  We look forward to seeing the smiling faces of our returning members.

Membership: 282 residents

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Welcome back October returning GCA members! 

Looking forward to your wonderful creative input this season! 

         

2024 GCA Board of Director’s Election 

The process for electing 2024 GCA Board of Directors has changed. This year the vote for new board members will be held online. E-voting encourages a greater number of members in good standing to cast a vote for club leadership.

 

Please note the voting schedule:

October (10-19-23) General Membership Meeting: GCA 2024 officer nominations announcement  

• Close of October meeting officer nominations e-blasted to general membership.
• Voting instructions to accompany e-blasted Board of Director nominations.

November General Meeting: 11-16-23

• Online election opens: 11-16-23 (12 noon MST) Online election closes:11-23-23 (mid-night MST)
• Should a tie vote occur, a run-off election will be held within a week to determine the winner.

2024 GCA Board Announcement:

• 11-24-23 / 2024 Board announcement to membership – by Jean Zeidler, Election Committee.
• 2024 Board to be posted on the GCA homepage.

A reminder that members planning to vote need to have their membership status in good standing. Good standing includes up-to-date earned service hours. Please check your service hours record to ensure that it is up to date so your vote counts. A full month remains for fellow members needing to earn additional service hours for good standing status. 

2024 online voting procedure unanimously supported by the Board of Directors. 
 

GCA Studio Renovation: 2024

                                                                            

 

On Tuesday, 10-10-23 The Grand Board of Directors voted unanimously to renovate the following visual art studios in 2024.

• Clay Arts Studio….renovation
• Glass Arts Studio...renovation
• Photo Studio……. darkroom addition

2024 approximate projected cost:

• Design: $390,000.00
• Construction: $2,248,795.00 
• Approximate total cost: $2,638,795.00

Visual arts studio renovations represent 70% of projected 2024 Grand building update expenditure funds. The board’s support for the immediate renovation of three (3) visual arts studios underscores their overwhelming support for the arts in our community. 

The clubs involved need to meet well defined goals and objectives set by The Grand BOD:

The building development plan is guided by the Large Project Development Process (LPDP).​

The LPDP is a seven-step plan that begins by addressing step #1, Prerequisite and concludes with step #7, Recapping the project. Club participation is mandatory. It is my understanding project funding is directly linked to club participation in the LPDP. 

 

GCA partners in the process:

1.) Long Range Planning (LRP) representative
2.) Large Project Development Process (LPDP) representative

GCA is forming a team to begin to address the LPDP process. The team will work with both LRP and LPDP representatives to develop and execute a well-defined building plan.  

Grand Board shared this “approximate” project timeline:

• Approximately 9 months anticipated for planning
• Approximately 3 months anticipated for construction

It has been a very long road to arrive at this point. GCA members have been involved in requesting and planning a Clay Arts building renovation for over a decade. Let’s all think positively and move forward together.

 

New CAM Membership Card

Exchange your current (old) membership card for the updated QR code version. Step across the street to The Grand membership office (Palm Center). The staff will process the new card at no cost.

     

 

Monitor Training and Refresher Update

Friday mornings from 9am to 11am training and refresher updates offered through the end of the year. The exception is during the holiday periods. No reservation required. Just show up and participate. PS: earn credit hours!

 

Space Saver Bat:

Introducing the space saver (green) potter’s wheel bat. Half the size of a standard size bat. The green bat maximizes “in-season” drying rack space. More room for fellow members work-in-progress to cure. Give it a try. Early results are positive!

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Have a great October!

Bruce

Please collect your name tags at the monitor's desk in the studio lobby.

The big news from IT is that for the GCA Board of Directors election, we will be voting electronically. Here are some details:

• Ballots will be emailed the morning of 11/16/23.

• Voting will be open from 11/16 through 11/23.

• You will need to log in to vote, so be sure you have your login and password info available.

• Only members in good standing will receive the emailed ballot, so be sure your service hours are up to date by November 1.

 

If you don’t have email or are not comfortable with using the computer, not to worry! There will be folks to assist you at the 11/16 General Meeting, and in the studio for the remainder of the voting timeframe.

 

If you forgot your login or password:

Click on the red Member Login button on the homepage (grandclayarts.com), and scroll down to “Reset Your Password”. (Please don't contact me to get your password; I have no way to know it. You must use these instructions.)

 

To check your service hours:

Once you’ve logged in, click the “Volunteering” button. Scroll down to “Volunteering Reports”, then click the “Run Report” button.

We are certainly welcoming cooler weather and seeing increased activity in the glaze room.

 

If you have not been in the club for some time, here is a short list to bring you up to speed.

 

1) All of the glazes are now up off the floor, so either on the table (dip) or shelves (brush on). 

 

2) Some of our least used glazes have transitioned from dip to brush-on (i.e. the smaller buckets). 

 

3) The lids on the orange (5 gal) buckets do not need to be hammered closed.  Simply set the lid flat on the bucket to establish a good seal.

 

4) Make sure that the glaze lids don't get swapped (it happens) by matching the lid character to that on the inside bucket rim.  A good idea is to only have one bucket open at a time.

 

5) The lids on the white buckets have spin off/on lids.  These should be spun closed when not in use to prevent evaporation.

 

6) We are continuing to evaluate new glaze colors in response to last year's survey, your feedback is appreciated.

 

7) There is a squeeze bottle of 'gumsol' (gum based brushing medium) on the shelf with the stains. This is for you to adjust the brushing characteristics of any glaze. Add a small amount to the glaze in your (yogurt) cup. Mix and test for brush ability. If your cup of glaze is not otherwise contaminated, it may be returned to the source bucket.

 

8) Use the Glaze Room Request Form when you have a concern or request. (Find these in the folder on top of the refrigerator.)

 

9) Please send pictures and comments of a finished piece using our newest glazes (White, Cinnabar, Speckled Blue Gray and Dynasty Red). 



 

Example: White and Dynasty Red on B-Mix

 

Example:  Blue Rutile (dipped) then Cinnabar (dipped) with overlap, then sprayed with Cinnabar on Speckled Buff

10)  If you have a favorite glaze combination to share, send the glaze team your recipe and a picture.

Example:  Antique Jade (dipped) overlapping Albany Slip (dipped) on Speckled Buff.

11)  We are always looking for new glaze team members.  If you are interested in learning something new, let's talk.

12)  Last but not least, please leave the glaze room looking better than when you arrived.  You can make a big difference.

See you soon!.

Hello to everyone and welcome back to those snowbirds who have already arrived in The Grand. No doubt the club will be a bustle of busy potters once again.

As I won't be arriving back until the end of October, I don't really have a lot to share with everyone right now when it comes to GCA supplies. 

As I know it, Bruce is still handling the club ordering and special orders.  Please continue to place your special orders on the order form which is located on the pegboard by the glaze room.  Bruce, I'm sure, has us all stocked up and ready for the mass purchasing of clay that will no doubt be happening.

I look forward to seeing you all very soon.  Travel safely to all of you heading to your winter homes.
 

Keep your eyes on the Event Calendar.  Diane is introducing a mini lecture series to describe and share tips for successfully joining the fun of Alternative Firing.  The lectures will be held on the patio, in the morning prior to studio opening and will be short in duration.  This will give those new to the world of Alternative Firing a good idea of what each type of firing entails by focusing on one type of firing per session.  Included will be What is Raku/Horsehair?  What is Splash Obvara?  What is Naked Raku?.



The Alternative Fire crew: 
           

Our first Plates of Plenty (POP) fundraising event is scheduled for Saturday, November 11 as part of The Grand Fall Fest Artwalk in the Village Center.  We're looking forward to selling MANY plates, bowls, trays and more, so we can make another generous donation to the West Valley Community Food Bank.  If you have an item you wish to donate, please leave it on one of the POP shelves in the workroom.  Also, encourage your friends to attend the Artwalk and see all the amazing pieces we have to offer. Imagine - at our booth they can buy a Christmas gift And support a worthwhile cause.

Class/Event	Date	Time	Instructor
Beginning Wheel	10/9, 11, 16, 21	3-6	Pat O’Brien
Leapin’ Lizards	10/12, 19	3-6	Diane Niehof
Desert Landscape	10/23, 30	3-6	Pat O’Brien
Basic Glazing	10/24	3-6	Connie Johnson
Columns & Bottles	10/25, 27	3-6	Diane Niehof
Foil Saggar	10/29	8-11 AM	Diane Niehof
Hanging Totem	11/1,8,29 & 12/13	6-9 PM	Lynne Shanrock
Underglaze This!	11/2	3-6	Mary King
Pickled Pigs Feet	11/2, 9, 16	3-6	Diane Niehof
The Doctor Is In	11/3	3-6	Diane Niehof
Raku/Horsehair	11/5	8-11 AM	Diane Niehof
Whimsical Village	11/6, 13	3-6	Pat O’Brien
Basic Clay	11/7, 14, 18	3-6	Connie Johnson
Beginning Wheel	11/7, 14, 27 & 28	3-6	Pat O’Brien
Puzzle Pots	11/9	3-6	Patti Jones
Raku/Horsehair	11/12	8-11 AM	Diane Niehof
The Doctor Is In!	11/15	3-6	Diane Niehof
Basic Glazing	11/30	3-6	Connie Johnson
Raku/Horsehair Firing	12/2	8-11 AM	Diane Niehof
Beginning Wheel	12/4, 7, 11 & 14	3-6	Pat O’Brien
Welcome Back Potter!	12/6	4-8 PM	Diane & Trish
Sundancer Luminaria	12/7	6-10	Lynne Shanrock
Columns & Bottles	12/8, 15	3-6	Diane Niehof
Raku/Horsehair Firing	12/10	8-11	Diane Niehof
Naked Raku Firing	12/17	8-11 AM	Diane Niehof
Basic Glazing	12/21	3-6	Connie Johnson
The Doctor Is In!	12/22	3-6	Diane Niehof

Please check Event Registration on our website for the most up-to-date information.
If you are interested in a specific subject or project, please send an email to Education@grandclayarts.com.