Pottery Festival brings artisans from around the country to Hutchinson

Morgan Baum, owner of Clay Coyote Gallery and Pottery in Hutchinson and one of the event organizers, looks forward to this event every year.

“We always try to have a diverse cast of potters, it just helps make sure the festival has a little bit of everything for everyone,” Baum said. “And we try to make sure that the audience and potters interact but also that the potters can interact with each other. We set up the festival in a horseshoe shape and it creates this sort of community as everyone is connected and working together.”

While many of the potters come from Minnesota and neighboring states, the festival also hosts creators from Texas, Oklahoma and North Carolina. Potters are selected based on the creativity and diversity of their craft. The limited number of slots allows for a range of potters to share their craft with each other and attendees.

One of the highlights of the Minnesota Pottery Festival is the emerging artist, who is selected to attend the festival free of charge. This year’s featured potter is Wendy Eggerman.

“I attended Warren Wilson College out in North Carolina,” Eggerman said. “While I went there to study American history, I fell in love with ceramics. That part of North Carolina is known for its strong craft traditions, and it was really amazing just seeing these people making a living off art. I was inspired by these people making these beautiful, intentional objects. I have been doing ceramics for 10 years now, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I opened a business around it. It was a slow start, but it has been good and I’ve been trucking along.”

Five special events are planned throughout the two-day festival. On Saturday, Kevin Caufield will throw a 100-pound pot, there will be a Raku Demo, as well as the first two rounds of the Pottery Olympics. On Sunday, there will be another Raku Demo, the Pottery Olympics will do its last two rounds, and Jonathan Walburg will show how he acquires his own clay from Lake Superior.

“The Pottery Olympics is a favorite around here,” Baum said. “People watch as potters do four unique challenges over the course of two days. It’s really amazing what they can do with a few pounds of clay every year. I’m also interested in Jonathan Walburg’s talk about him gathering his own clay.”

Food and refreshments will be readily available throughout the festival, with three food trucks offering their diverse culinary delights.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what happens this year,” Baum said. “Everyone always has a blast coming to this festival.”