The next meeting of Grand Clay Arts will be Thursday, January 21 at 9AM via Zoom.  Log in information will be sent prior to the meeting or check the home page on our website.

Bob Mohr Award

The 2020 Bob Mohr award finished in a three-way tie.  The board determined a membership run-off vote is the best approach to select the final recipient.  The following members have tied for the honor:

• Diane Niehof
• Pat O'Brien
• Lynne Shanrock

An email blast ballot was forwarded to our membership on Monday, 1/18/21,  The voting window is open from 1/18/21 through 1/31/21.  The Bob Mohr 2020 winner will be announced on 2/1/21.

In fairness to the runoff candidates, this is the first time their names have been revealed.  For sure, all three candidates are part of the successful GCA club foundation, forming one of the greatest SCG charter clubs!

Please take a few minutes to submit your vote.

January Returning Members

Welcome back!  It certainly is great to renew acquaintances and catch up on things.  Please note the studio is set up to comply with C-19 guidelines along with Sun City Grand updated operation restrictions.  Please take time to note:

• Face masks must be worn at all times while in the Clay Arts building
• On-line, three-hour time slot reservations are required (one daily three-hour session per work station)
• Six-foot social distancing standards between members (yes, even while wearing masks)
• Please clean work stations with disinfectant provided at individual tables and wheels
• Per CAM, please no congregating in the Clay Arts lobby or near the monitor's desk

By following these SCG CAM mandatory guidelines, the studio may remain open and functioning during these challenging times.  Thank you for your cooperation.

Name Tags

The following name tags are available for pick up in the lobby:

Laura Abraham	Bella Frederiksen	Gabe Verstraete
Jan Beatty	Ila Kirscher	Kris Venema
Neil Davidson	Trudy Miller	Suzanne Vehaeg
Barbara Ehrhart	Diane Niehof	Beth Wilson
Sandi Graf	Patty Reiners
Kelly Ehrick	Eleanor Shaner

Drying:

• Wheel work only to be dried on the shelves beside the wheels
• Two-week limit on all drying shelves
• Kindly remove and discard paper and put wareboards away when you take your pieces
• Use height appropriate shelves
• Molds have a three-day use limit so that other members may use popular molds

Can't find your pieces?  A number of "lost souls" have been placed on the bottom two shelves under the measuring box.  These are pieces from the drying shelves without names or that have been there for over two months.  Please claim them if they are yours.

Please practice safe distancing in the studio.  If you see someone working near the sink, do not reach over them without excusing yourself to give distance.  Whenever possible when passing another member, give them space.  We do not need to be in a hurry, safety is our top priority.  Following simple guidelines will enable us all to enjoy working with clay.

GCA Gallery

The gallery has been quite successful, with over 20 artists participating and $1300 of artwork sold!  Artists are continually posting their latest pieces and there are always new, beautiful and interesting items available.  Be sure to shop the gallery for Valentine's Day!

Any member in good standing is welcome to post up to five pieces in the gallery.  Submit pieces using "Submit a Gallery Request" on the grandclayarts.com home page  I hope to see your work there soon!

FAQs

A "Frequently Asked Questions" guide is available on the grandclayarts.com home page.  It may answer some of your common questions, from "What if I forget my password?" to "How do Service Hours work?"

Don't forget that there is additional information for members available on the website at GCA Documents>**Member Help.**

Email me with questions or comments - webmaster@grandclayarts.com

Just a reminder that your annual dues should have been paid by January 15.  If dues are not received by February 1, we will assume you are no longer interested in being a member of the club and we will begin the process of dropping members.

We recognize that life and our interests are always changing and this was a particularly hard year with COVID.  We would hate to see you go but know that you are always welcome back!

To make payment, go to the link in the invoice that was emailed earlier, or make payment by check in the studio (include a copy of the invoice with your check).

FYI:  A new CLEAR glaze, HF-9 Zinc-free Clear Glaze is now mixed and ready for use in the glaze room.  This product should eliminate yellowing and fogginess previously experienced when putting clear glaze over light colors. 

Three new white boards have been installed, one on the entry door and one on each of the green cabinet doors over the sink.  The entry door white board will be used for sign ups and for information regarding the glaze room hours and closures for maintenance as well as a space for you to leave notes to the glaze team.

Time allotted for glazing is one half hour per person to complete your glaze projects and clean up.  If you finish early, please advise the next person in line.  Pertinent information and rules will be placed on the white boards over the sink.  We welcome your questions, ideas and concerns and we are here to help make your glazing experience a positive one.  Thank you for your consideration.

The most up to date information will always be from our website.  Please check frequently to see classes as they become available.

Class Name	Date	Time	Instructor
Raku Firing	01/24/21	8-11 AM	Diane Niehof
5.5 Mixer – Doctor is In	01/26/21	3-6PM	Diane Niehof
Basic Clay	2/2, 9, 16/21	3-6PM	Pat O’Brien

Brian Marx is back in town!  Be sure to check the schedule as his very popular classes will be added to the calendar soon.