Marin Pottery’s artist in residence program offers a self-directed emerging or established ceramic artist a supportive work environment to explore ideas and create a cohesive body of work. We offer one year, all-inclusive residencies for potters or ceramic sculptors.
Fellowships and Funding (new!)-Artist in Residence
The normal membership Fee ($130/month) will be completely waived, and each Resident will be offered a Fellowship granting a $250/month stipend to go towards materials and firings.
About the Program
The Marin Pottery Resident Artist Program offers individuals the opportunity to further develop their work, to establish professional contacts and standards, and to work within a community of like-minded individuals in a small boutique like environment for up to one year in downtown Novato with high visibility, surrounded by coffee shops, great dining, and wine bars. The program is designed to reflect a range of experiences and diverse aesthetic approaches, cultures and perspectives. The Marin Pottery Studio Resident Artist Program allows artists to become successful members of the Marin Pottery community, monthly pottery critique, selling wares in a booth at the yearly Downtown Novato Art and Wine festival, selling items in our small retail area, and becoming more involved with the Northern California art community.
A residency at Marin Pottery includes:
Personal storage space
Use of kilns (two electric cone 5-6 kilns)
A stocked glaze and underglaze area
Use of tools
Teaching children and/or adult classes
A solo exhibition after the artist has been in residence for 12 months
Group exhibition opportunities
Skill building for running studios, working with community, teaching
Artist in Residence Responsibilities Include
Teaching in our Community Studio minimum of one class a week
Host 2, 3 hour session of drop in studio weekly
Mandatory monthly meetings
Agree to Marin Pottery Code of Conduct Policy
Cover cost of materials and firing fees (outside of the $250 stipend)
To engage with the community, Residents will give hours to teach classes, workshops, and public demonstrations, offer mentorship to artists, and organize group activities. The Residents will teach in the drop-in community studio where weekly schedules will be offered to our members and students. These opportunities will share and grow the Residents' creative energy and practices into different aspects of Marin Pottery, inspiring young potters, students, members, and community outreach programs. The value to the Residents themselves is a greater array of professional experience, running of a community studio, kiln knowledge, working with others to share the passion of pottery, adding new tools that will lead to success in their careers as they move on from Marin Pottery. Additionally, the direct interaction with the larger community will create a more profound sense of accountability to the field at large, laying the foundation for the best kind of citizenship in the art world.
How to Apply
Click the 'Apply Here' button above, the form will include:
Personal contact information
Resume
Artist statement
A personal statement telling us why you are applying to Marin Pottery, how it will benefit you, and what you feel you have to contribute Marin Pottery’s community
Ten digital images
A corresponding image list that includes the following: image number, title, medium, size, and date
Three references
Application fee - Waived - you may choose to pay the full or partial fee as a donation. The fee is not required for your application to be accepted.
Selection Process
The current Resident Artists, Tess Kress and Kebby McInroy, will review and rank applicants. The Curator of Artistic Programs will then interview a small group of applicants based on the initial ranking. Curator Tess Kress will conduct interviews by phone or at Marin Pottery. Spaces in the program are made available as current residents reach their six-month to one-year term limit or leave the program before their term is up. The number of spots available is not known until the time of application review. All interested individuals are strongly encouraged to visit Marin Pottery prior to applying.
Subject line: Resident Artist Application
Candidates will be notified of acceptance by email. A “yes” or “no” response IN WRITING is expected within the period of time stated at the time of the offer. Once the artist accepts the position, a letter of acknowledgment and welcome will be mailed to the incoming artist within 7 days.
Notification
Notification will be made via email.
All applicants will be notified January 15, 2023
New Residents begin on February 15, 2023
Accepted applicants will have one week after notification to accept and sign the Resident Agreement Form.
Artist in Residence 2022
Tess is a Novato native who began working with clay in 2021 when she was in need of a creative outlet after navigating the first two years of the pandemic. She has two kids, ages 3 and 6, who share her love of pottery, both making it and admiring it. Tess comes from an artistic family and has always enjoyed exploring new crafts. She knew from her first pottery class that it would become a huge part of her life and one of her biggest passions.
My work is inspired by my own desire to fill my home with items that bring joy to myself and my family. Minimalism to me has always symbolized filling your life and home intentionally, and from that idea the name of my business, The Minimalist Ceramist, was born. Whether it’s a mug making your morning cup of coffee taste better, a vase that elevates a beautiful bouquet into something spectacular or a shelf to hold treasures that make your heart sing, I want my work to infuse joy into your life. I feel strongly that the energy of a handmade item can’t be replicated in mass production and I hope you too can feel the love I’ve put into each piece.
Throughout my time as Artist in Residence at Marin Pottery I will be focusing on honing in on my voice within the ceramics community. I love incorporating minimalistic line art and sketches on my pieces, which I do through the use of vinyl resists. I am currently exploring the use of stencils and screen printing as alternative ways to incorporate art on my work and I’m excited to share those skills with the Marin Pottery community. I am also currently infatuated with creating organic, raw pieces inspired by the very place the clay I mold comes from, nature. Exploring outdoors with my kids opens my eyes to the simple beauties that can be found in nature and feeds my muse. Having previously worked in the travel industry, I also pull inspiration from both places I’ve been and places I’d like to visit one day.