Ocean Springs News
OS Parks & Leisure Pottery Program Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Student Pottery Sale
Ocean Springs, MS – Students with the City of Ocean Springs Parks and Leisure Services Pottery Program will be celebrating the program’s 10-year anniversary this fall with a special student pottery sale as part of the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center’s First Saturday Art Market. The show will be held October 3 on the grounds of the O’Keefe Center, 1600 Government Street.
“It’s been very gratifying for me, through the years, to watch as our pottery program has grown and enjoyed such success,” said Geri Straight, Director of Parks & Leisure Services. “We’ve had a very strong and positive response from local people who have enjoyed this program.”
Classes are held in 10-week sessions and teach the basics of wheel-thrown pottery. Steve Burtt, instructor for the pottery program, said both current and former students are being invited to display and sell their work at the event.
“Over the years, some of our students have gone on to become professional potters, selling their works at shops and shows throughout the state,” Burtt said. “And some of our students have been in the program for a number of years and are producing some remarkable pieces. So, we’re expecting an impressive show.”
Teaming up with the cultureal center was a natural, since the O’Keefe Foundation provided the grant money to get the city’s program started back in 1999.
“At the time I started talking with the recreation department people about a program, they thought it was a good idea, but were concerned about the cost of pottery wheels,” Burttt said. “The O’Keefe Foundation came to our rescue and bought our first four wheels. We started with those four wheels, three classes and 12 students in a converted storage room.”
In 2000, the former athletic field house for Freedom Field in downtown Ocean Springs was renovated to expand the city’s arts facilities. Today the city program has grown to eight wheels with three pottery kilns. Burtt and instructor Lisa Dickinson teach 10 classes a week with a total of about 75 students.
“I wish I had kept up with the total number of students we have had come through the program,” Burtt said. “Some people have stayed with us just a short time to gain an appreciation for handmade pottery, while others have made pottery a permanent part of their lives.”
Pottery classes are now held at the Moving Arts Center on Middle Street in Ocean Springs. The department offers both evening and morning classes. Classes meet once a week for three-hour sessions.
The center got its name, because the building originally housed classes in ballet, tap and other dancing styles, as well as karate and pottery. New locations were found for the other programs over the years, allowing the pottery program to expand and use the entire building.
“We’ve been very fortunate, because the City of Ocean Springs is very supportive of the arts,” Burtt said. “We have always had a waiting list to get into our program, and have had to grow and expand just to keep up with the demand. As a longtime potter, it’s exciting for me to see people learn and enjoy the clay.”
Former students, who are interested in participating in the October 3 show, should contact Burtt at the studio at 228-875-8460 or at his home, 228-872-7726.
