London Potters Guild and London Clay Art Centre getting new name and look

Artwork showing various types of pottery CREDIT: NINA HEPPLEWHITE
The event titled The Next Chapter is being held to show off the new brand identity of the London Potters Guild and London Clay Arts Centre.

The London Clay Arts Centre and the London Potters Guild are unifying under a new name and new look at a grand unveiling event on March 31 at 1 p.m. at the London Clay Arts Centre on 664 Dundas St. Doors to the event open at 12:45 p.m., with brand unveiling and opening remarks happening at 1 p.m. Visitors can also enjoy facility tours, clay demonstrations, and networking until 2 p.m. The event is free for everyone attending.

The event titled The Next Chapter is being held to show off the new brand identity of the London Potters Guild and London Clay Arts Centre and how it reflects the direction that the organization is moving towards. During the event, Executive Director Bep Schippers and Board Director John White will be sharing the story behind the new brand, including the inspiration and strategy for the organization’s new visual identity and how it will position the organization for future success.

Spectators have the opportunity to see the new brand identity in action, take a tour of the new facilities and studio, experience live clay demonstrations, network with other pottery enthusiasts and enjoy some refreshments.

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The London Clays Arts Centre has been open since 2009 and operates out of a renovated Victorian- era building in the heart of London’s Old East Village (OEV). The London Clay Arts Centre and London Potters Guild provide classes and workshops for all ages to work with and learn about clay and pottery. Anyone aged seven and up can participate in half day custom workshops for community and school groups, half day team building packages, three to four hour experiential tourism packages for local or visiting tourists, corporate groups, or families, annual empty bowls event to address food insecurity in the community, an onsite store where local clay artists work can be purchased, themed exhibitions of Canadian ceramic work every two years, two off-site annual sales of local artists’ work at the Spring and Fall Potters Market, and Canadian and international Artist- in-Residence programs.

In their strategic plan, by the year 2032, they want “to be recognized as a centre of excellence for the education, practice and appreciation of the ceramic art form” and they have set a goal “to be mentors, influencers, and supporters who bring the importance of ceramics into the consciousness of every Canadian.” The organization’s guiding principles are to put people first, build inclusivity and share, strive for excellence, cherish play, and embrace and inspire transformation.

Through the support of the London Clay Arts Centre, hundreds of Londoners have hand made tens of thousands of ceramic tiles for several exterior mosaics as public works of art. These public monuments have become tourist destinations for visitors of London for years and destinations of interest for the local community. Some of the public mosaics include the Canada 150 mosaic, the OEV Wayfinding Mosaics, the Gateways mosaics, and the Indwell’s Embassy Commons mosaic project.

You can register for the London Clay Arts Centre’s The Next Chapter grand unveiling event on their website londonclayartcentre.org through Eventbrite.