start a salon
Please, try this at home.
The pottery salon is an infinitely repeatable concept - give it a try.
We would love to see Pottery Salons all over the world.
If you start one, let us know.
And we’d be happy to answer any getting started questions you might have.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far:
Planning
Start Small
Start with a 3 -6 event series - a low commitment to see how it goes, build an audience, and make it work for your community. It’s intimidating to do something forever times. But three? You got that.Consistency breeds connection
Pick a specific day, time, and location and stick with it. The regularity will help cement your events place in people’s minds. We do Saturdays from 4 - 6.Operationalize the RSVP process
We started doing rsvps manually and it took way too much time - we recently switched to RSVPify and it’s FANTASTIC. The free version allows for one event, and up to 100 reservations, more than enough to get started.Promotion
Diversify your strategy as you build a core group - we advertised on instagram, at our local clay supply store, and through word of mouth. We’ve now got a solid mailing list and send out invites about 2 weeks in advance.
Presentations
Salon Structure
break up the time - make sure to have 10 - 15 minutes at the beginning for conversation, try a short activity to get going (maybe show and tell, potle, or a problem solving session) then the main speaker, follow up with at least 20 or 30 minutes for socializing. It’ll go faster than you think it will.Pots, pots, pots.
We’ve had speakers both with and without slides, both work fine, but you’re hosting potters. The more work the better.
Practicalities
Capacity
This will of course depend on your venue and goals, but after a barnburner at over 50 people, we’ve now capped the attendees at 30, and may go even smaller. The more intimate the gathering, the more it’ll lean toward conversation rather than lecture.Ugly Mugs
We asked attendees to bring and donate an ‘ugly mug’ for the salon - the one that leans, is too heavy, has a hideous glaze, anything functional but flawed. These are what we use for drinks, and it levels the playing field from beginner to expert - we’ve all got an ugly mug!Nametags
This was a great suggestion from an attendee - we’re playing around now with asking people to make custom ceramic nametags for themselves. Will report back.Presenter tips
Many of your speakers will be new to speaking to a group like this, we've developed a tip sheet that we share with our speakers.
Other Ideas
We’ve just scratched the surface of what these salons can be - there are more ideas than there are Saturday afternoons. Here are a few ideas we’ve added the list:
Diversify the speaker list
Our local clay store owner, a gallery owner, are on the schedule, integral parts of a functioning art community. We’ve also invited some out of town potters and we’re considering inviting business focused guests to address the group.
Critique Sessions
It’s hard, if not impossible to solicit and receive honest but constructive feedback in the world of likes, comments, and shares. We’ve been thinking about how to bring that essential element of an arts education into this forum.
Research and Resources
We’ve had a guest present on a local historic potter, and a few folks have brought in historic pots, books, and ideas to share - this is something we want to continue to foster.
Roles and Responsibilities
Here are some of the 10 (and counting!) specific roles you need to account for - they do NOT all have to be the same person!!
Ongoing Operations
Speaker Management
contacting potters, securing names for the listScheduling
Confirming dates/times with speakers and venueMailing list management
acquiring and maintaining the list of who to invite each timeWebsite/Social Media Management
editing/updating the websiteFinances
Managing funds, planning for fundraising as needed
Instance Execution
Event Setup - RSVPs
we HIGHLY recommend RSVPify.Event Promotion
creating social posts, emails, etc.Food / Utensils / ETC
I prefer this be done centrally, because potlucks are a PITA, but you do you.
Day of
Venue (setup, cleanup)
in a home is GREAT - low cost!Tech
Slides, computer, projector...Speaker
assigning someone to greet/host the speaker before and/or take them out to dinnerHosting the event
Pottle, annoucements, intro, prompting questions, keeping speaker moving, prompting cleanup, closing.