 April 2026 Monthly Newsletter | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Gallery Design | Diane Niehoff & Sherri Singer |
| Monitor Area | Sandi Schulzetenberg & Beckie Alexander |
| Storage Needs | Bob Piper & Theresa Fritz |
| Classroom Design | Cindy Wright |
| Kiln Room | Al Dadd & Judy Tilton |
| Glaze Room | Jim Donaldson & Elizabeth Folk |
| Cleaning & Safety | Jim Donaldson, Laura Abraham, & Cleaning crew leads |
| Raku | Diane Niehoff, Jim Donaldson, & Jim Perez-Wood |
Below is a mock-up of our new cubby and how they will look almost full. Dimensions: 18”H 18”W 20”D
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Some Friendly Tips
Leaving for the summer??? Clean your cubby but you don’t need to empty it
Something to consider: Use a cloth towel in lieu of paper towels
Recent Meeting with Team Leads
The GCA Board met with club coordinators who lead teams of volunteers. The purpose of the meeting was to extend appreciation, recognize their work, and solicit feedback to the Board. There was a group discussion about characteristics and strategies of effective leadership. Emphasis was placed on shared responsibility with designated alternates and how both the leads and alternates are an extension of the Board. Other discussion topics were succession planning, recruitment & retention of team members, communication across teams, training, and maintenance of records for reference.
Thank you for being a valued member of our wonderful club!
EDUCATION
As we approach the summer, we move to a lighter class schedule. Basic Clay will be offered monthly to support any new members who join so continue to encourage your friends to join. Any additional class offerings will be developed as the summer progresses.
Me at a recent class making sure my
lizard's head is angled just "Wright!"
Wrapping up the busy season, I’d like to give a huge shout out to our members who give of their time and talents to be an instructor. Thanks so much! You help build our creativity and teach us skills to make our projects more successful.
Education Survey
This year we had a full slate of classes offered, but had to cancel many due to no or low registration. In order to better understand what why this happened, we reached out to members who joined in the past 2 years for some feedback. Here’s what we learned.
(Please note these data are directional, because we did not have enough respondents to make it statistically accurate.)
Great people: Overwhelmingly, respondents commented that people are friendly, always willing to help, are so nice, etc. A number of instructors were called out by name for how great their classes were.
Crowded: Space and the busyness of the club is a reason people don’t work in the studio, or continue with Grand Clay Arts. There’s a lot of enthusiasm for our expanded space!
Prefer 1-day classes in the daytime: Many said our classes are great, but also commented that it’s hard to commit to a multi-day class. Plus, the hours we offer the class can be a deterrent to taking a class. Many expressed interest in morning or early afternoon classes.
Not aware of our classes: We need to do a better job of reaching people with our class offerings. Respondents expressed a “wish we offered” classes—that we DO offer. Or that they saw a class going on, and wished they knew about it so they could have registered.
A few class requests: Respondents offered a few class suggestions that will be explored. Thanks for the suggestions.
Thank you to those who participated in this survey. The feedback was very helpful and will guide our class offerings going forward.
GALLERY UPDATE
As summer approaches, our goal is to keep the gallery looking full and refreshed.
Please consider submitting new pieces for the summer months, and remember that you can have up to 7. If you are removing art, you must remember to remove it from the in-studio gallery first and then remove it from online.
Please be creative with your titles, as each submission needs to be distinct. Check for accuracy when it has been accepted to the online gallery. Remember that there is a team behind the scenes that works hard to get your pieces online and into Square in a timely manner, and that it may take up to a few weeks to get a check when you’ve sold something.
Have a great summer and keep the wonderful artwork coming.
If you have any questions, contact me at 651-428-5368 or Sherrisinger@hotmail.com
GLAZE ROOM UPDATE
Have a question, concern or suggestion?
The Glaze Room Request form (in the binder on top of Microwave) is a great way to let us know. Post your form where we will see it. Or email: glazelead@grandclayarts.com
Your requests are being worked on:
Cappuccino behavior and color is not as it was two years ago.
Most recently mixed week of Feb 15, 2026. Our metrics indicate the glaze is properly mixed and at the correct specific gravity, which is the its weight compared to an equal volume of water. We will buy another 5# of a different batch and see if this resolves the problem.
Request for different glazes to replace those discontinued. Offer these glazes in smaller containers to see if they are popular before buying larger quantities.
We are looking for dipping glazes that could become a core member of our glaze offerings. We historically mix all of our dipping glazes from powder form. We test first as a small container before committing to purchasing a larger quantity. Your suggestions are helpful, so let us know if you have a glaze idea for consideration.
Glaze Status
We have recently migrated Oatmeal back from the smaller bucket to a 5 gallon dipping bucket.
Speckled Blue Grey has been replenished, given a popularity kick from the member glaze challenge event held earlier this year.
Amethyst is still on back order.
We have updated the glaze room introduction video: Watch Me!
Our team is working on making glaze tiles of popular two-glaze combinations. This will take some time and hopefully progress over the summer.
Consumption
The following pareto chart shows rate of consumption (#/ week) for current and discontinued glazes.
Blue are the current glazes. Yellow are those discontinued or in process of being discontinued.
We monitor glaze consumption and frequency of use in order to help determine what glazes have dropped out of favor so that we can replace them with glazes that have more current interest.
Share your Glaze Combinations
Let us know what glaze combinations you're experimenting with and share your results! Send a photo and details to: GlazeLead@GrandClayArts.com
Have a great summer,
Your Glaze Team
IT UPDATE
Changes to Service Hour Login
Input your service hours using the Volunteer Calendar. Click on the "Volunteer's Calendar" link on the homepage, then look for your team:
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Cleaning Crew - first and third Wednesdays
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Openers - last day of the month
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Orientation and Basic Clay students - last day of the month
Click the "Blue Bar" for your team.
Click the "Green Sign Up" button.
Click the "Box(es)" for your activity.
Club Service is important, a must, and it's fun!
See all volunteer opportunities from the Committees link on the left-side menu of your member homepage (once you've logged in.)
GET TO KNOW - HOLLY MONCADA
When did you move to The Grand and from where? I moved to The Grand in August of 2025, from Billings, Montana, where I have lived my entire life! I am a full-time resident. To escape the heat, I’ll visit my family in Montana and my daughter in Minnesota. |
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What did you do prior to retirement?
I was a full-time mom, then decided to become a Certified Professional Life Coach.
When did you begin working with clay?
The first time I ever touched clay was October of 2025 and was hooked!
Is there a pottery piece that you’re particularly proud of?
The last 2 bowls I made turned out so beautifully. I love having my hands in the mud and letting the creative process go where it wants to! I’m learning more about how to layer glazes.
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Clay body: Bmix 1. Brush on 2 coats of Turkish Amber over the entire bowl. |
What is one word to describe how you feel when you’re playing with mud: RELAXED
MEMBER SURVEY COMING THIS FALL
Your Voice, Our Future: The 2028 Studio Starts With You!
We’re building a new home for the Grand Clay Club, and we want you to hold the tools. This September and October, we’re launching a two-part survey to capture your ideas on equipment, programming, and our new space.
How do you want to help?
A huge part of this survey is learning how you want to get involved. Whether it’s sharing a skill or helping behind the scenes, we need to know how everyone can contribute to our success.
You are the essence of this club.
Keep an eye on your inbox this fall—let’s dream bigger, together!
Survey team: Judy Climan, Leigh Donaldson, Selena Erstad, Patti Jones
PLATES OF PLENTY (POP)
Another Successful Plates of Plenty Event!
GCA is happy to announce that its annual Plates of Plenty event, held as part of the Spring Art Fair, was a great success, raising over $1,300 for the Valley View Community Food Bank! A variety of pieces were sold - plates, mugs, luminaries, vases, trays, and more.
We had many repeat customers tell us they make a point to stop by our tables every spring and fall. It’s possible that part of the reason people keep returning is because of the friendly and helpful people who work our event! POP volunteers participating in this event included: Karin Bramilla, Cheryl Brewer, Judy Climan, Georgene Davis, and Faye Williams. We received additional help from Becky Alexander, Lisa Minton, Bob Piper, and Bob Singer.
Thank you to ALL who have donated pieces to POP! Your efforts are truly appreciated.
SUPPLY
Once again, another busy winter/spring season is winding down. Many members have already left, some due to the unusual heat we experienced in the past few weeks. You know the saying, "If you can't handle the heat...?"
As I prepare to leave here myself, I wish you all a very comfortable summer here in The Grand or back at your homes wherever that may be. Stay healthy and safe, and continue to share with everyone some of your summer adventures via the club's Facebook page.
Beckie Alexander will keep you all well supplied throughout the summer. Please continue to use the Member Special Order Form located on the pegboard by the glaze room. Thank you Beckie for all of your hard work throughout the year.
Wishing you all a very wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing you all again in the fall.
