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2012 in Review Northern Clay Center2012 Annual Report

Table of Contents

introduction 3 – 6exhibitions 7 – 9artist services 10 – 13education and outreach 14 – 16sales gallery and American Pottery Festival 17 – 18administration and numbers 19 – 21people 22 – 26members and donors 27 – 29

On front cover: Top row: Visitors to the sales gallery. Second row: left to right, winter McKnight Resident Artist, David Allyn, using visual aids during his lecture. Pottery by S. C. Rolf. Warren MacKenzie relaxes with NCC’s studio cat, Milo. Third row, left to right: NCC student putting finishing touches on a bowl. Clay campers hard at work in the studio. Staff member, Elizabeth Coleman, and board member, Mark Lellman, show off their headwear at the Hats Off to Sarah party welcoming the new NCC Director, Sarah Millfelt. Bottom row: An ART@HAND outreach participant working on a sculpture. This page: left to right: Plate by Kathy King. Plate by Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish (photos: Peter Lee). Next page: An unknown artist’s hands at work. Please note: unless otherwise noted, snapshots/photos used in this report were taken by NCC staff.

Northern Clay Center | 2012 Annual Report | Page 3

introduction

Top to bottom: A visiting school group. Angie Renee teaching at Ebenezer Ridges in Burnsville. Special tour of Functional ReDesign. Right: Hiroe Hanazono, Condiment Dish with Two Spoons, 2012, slipcast porcelain with glaze, 2” x 3.5” x 10” (photo: Peter Lee).


Northern Clay Center in 2012 was similar to a cruise ship in many ways. Cruise ships face their own set of challenges before departing the shores of sunny Florida, packed to the gills with passengers, staff, and entertain-ment, not dissimilar to the challenges faced by a medium-sized arts orga-nization like NCC. Heading out to sea in 2012 presented a variety of trials, tribulations, and opportunities for Northern Clay Center. At the start of 2012, we asked ourselves such questions as:

Are we equipped with enough staff and board members with experience and passion to weather the storm, meet demand, and continue to challenge our audiences? How will we chart a new course under a new director? How will we carry passengers/constituents with a variety of interests and investments in our programming? How do we tweak and redesign our offerings so that those new to us are lured into a longer relationship with NCC and those who have been sailing with us for quite some time remain invested in what we do? Can we weather the funding storm, the poor economic times, the uncertainties in earned income?

As we ventured out of port, we were mindful of our cruise line sister, the Costa Concordia Italian cruise ship that was mismanaged and suffered a terrible fate off the shore of Isola del Giglio. We were duly mindful of the old Titanic; we were cautious as we did not want to suffer the same fate, misjudging the trends on the surface and taking uncalculated risks without really understanding what uncertainties and icebergs lay below.

What followed was a memorable cruise, complete with new programming, new audiences, new challenges, new opportunities, and plenty of fun and feel-good work along the way.

The highlights of 2012 were plentiful in number—too many to name. Some of our accomplishments included:

• In the spring, we produced Functional Redesign, an exhibition that explored how ceramicists, who work in a high-design aesthetic and often use molds to create their functional objects, engage with today’s industry, the consumer, and the ceramics community at-large. Bridging the roles of artist/designer/ceramicist, these individuals redefine trad- itional consumer-consumption relationships by offering dinner- ware and other functional pottery to enhance the consumption experience, question mass production methods, or experiment with utilitarian design itself.

From left to right: Intergenerational class with one of NCC’s ART@HAND partners. Looking and listening to a William Cravis installation in the Seven McKnight Artists exhibition. Fall Regis Master Jun Kaneko.

From left to right: February Featured Artist, Willem Gebben, demonstrates his techniques during the Pre–Chili Cook-off workshop. Tasters at the 2012 Chili Cook-off. Page 6: A student applying stain decorations to his work.


• Our education attendance increased 23% over 2011. NCC’s classes and workshops for adults and kids saw their largest growth since 2007, increasing participation in nearly all categories. The Center’s ClayToGo program saw another huge increase in the numbers of youth, families, and school children it served. We entered our final year of programming under the Wallace Excellence in the Arts Award, expanding the number of 55+ populations with which we worked.

• The Clay Center had an impressive year of support for individual artists. Over $439,000 was paid to artists in grants, teaching fees, and com-missions, bringing the total paid to artists since 1995 to just over six million.

• NCC finished the design and printing of its 20th Anniversary Book, which documents the Center’s programmatic accomplishments over the past 10 years. We incurred costs of editing, design, printing, and mailing in 2012. The book was a huge hit with our audience and was pack-aged with the original 10th Anniversary Book, and later mailed to students, collectors, donors, artists, etc.

• The Center completed its buy-out of the Seward Neighborhood Group’s portion of its 2424 Franklin Avenue building, NCC’s original tenant in common. The buy-out was completed in August of 2012, with our payments to SNG beginning in February of 2012.


exhibitions


1/13 – 2/26 Gallery M | Three Jerome Artists Exhibit featuring the work of recipients of emerging artist project grants awarded in 2011: Felice Amato, Casey Hochhalter, and Tom Jaszczak.

Emily Galusha Gallery | Fogelberg, Anonymous Potter, and Red Wing Artists Annual exhibition of work by recipients of grants to underwrite short-term studio residencies at NCC. Fogelberg Fellows Adam Gruetzmacher and Matthew Krousey; Anonymous Potter Matthew Jorgensen; Red Wing Artist JD Jorgenson.

3/9 – 4/29 Gallery M | Functional Redesign This group exhibition explored how ceramicists, who work in a high-design aesthetic and often use molds to create their functional objects, engage with today’s industry, the consumer, and the ceramics community at-large. Participating artists included: Nicholas Bivins, Ryan Fletcher, Andrew Gil-liatt, Hiroe Hanazono, Jason Miller, and Lenneke Wispelwey. In conjunction with the exhibition, artist Ryan Fletcher was in residence at NCC for two weeks, during which time he made work both for the exhibition and for a private dinner at a restaurant in Minneapolis. Hanazono and Wispelwey also visited the Center for a demonstration and gallery talk. A full-color catalogue was produced. This exhibition was co-curated by Heather Nameth Bren, member of NCC’s exhibitions committee, ceramic artist, and professor. Bren also wrote the catalogue essay.

Emily Galusha Gallery | Minnesota Potters: Sharing the Fire This exhibit documented how ceramic art is passed on from one artist to another in an effort to keep Minnesota’s vibrant ceramic tradition and community flourishing. Spearheaded by Mark Lambert of Anoka Ramsey Community College, the Sharing the Fire exhibition was part of a larger roster of programming, which documented the work of select Minnesota ceramic artists, their methods of working with clay, and the way in which they pass on their skills. The exhibition later toured to an additional five sites in greater Minnesota.

NCC’s exhibition program continued the Center’s track record of producing a roster of exhibitions unique in the country for both scale and scope. In addition to the annual exhibitions of work by artist grants recipients, special exhibitions included:

Right: Lenneke Wispelwey, Mister Right, 2012, slipcast porcelain, varied dimensions (photo: Peter Lee).


5/11 – 7/1 Gallery M | Self-[Contained] The exhibition featured freestanding ceramic sculptures and large-scale vessels that evoked the whimsical, the mournful, the absurd, or the fantastical through depictions of the human face or figure. Some of these works suggested a bodily transmutation into otherworldly, human chime-ras. Others exaggerated the human form, thereby bringing the private psychologies we often project onto figural artwork to the forefront. Imaginative, yet grounded in the reality of emotion, the artwork in Self-[Contained] gestured toward the body we inhabit and the consciousness within which we exist. Artists included in the exhibition were Lisa Clague, Michael Corney, Jenny Mendes, Andy Nasisse, Derek Weisberg, Janis Mars Wunderlich, and Kensuke Yamada. A full-color catalogue was produced. Two of the artists, Corney and Weisberg, visited NCC in conjunction with the exhibition opening, to lead educational activities. The exhibition catalogue was produced in collaboration with Kelly Connole, member of NCC’s exhibitions committee, ceramic artist, and professor.

Emily Galusha Gallery | Regis Master: Richard ShawRichard Shaw, master of trompe l’oeil and former professor of ceramics at the University of California at Berkeley, was Northern Clay Center’s 24th Regis Master. The Regis Master Series began in 1997 and honors senior artists, over the age of 65, who have had a major impact on the develop-ment of 20th century—now 21st century—ceramics.

7/13 – 8/26 Gallery M & the Emily Galusha Gallery | Seven McKnight Artists This group exhibition featured the recipients of 2011 McKnight Fellowships: Mika Negishi Laidlaw and Gerard Justin Ferrari; 2010 Residency Grants: William Cravis, Kevin Snipes, Rina Hongo, and Naoto Nakada; and a 2011 Residency Grant: David Allyn.

9/21 – 11/4 Gallery M | Repetitive Nature Three contemporary female ceramic artists whose work explored the nature of repetition: Kim Dickey, Cheryl Ann Thomas, and Janet Williams were featured in this exhibition. Like miniature landscapes unto themselves, each of the sculptures in Repetitive Nature not only resonated its power as a singular object, but also as part of the whole environment created within the gallery setting. The exhibition was comprised of tightly-decorated, ornate spheres of modular leaves and flowers, undulating whisper-thin porcelain husks, and layered topographical mountains of fingerprints. The iterative process apparent in the ceramic objects in the show reminded the viewer that labor can be a commitment to something greater than the self. The word “repetitive” can connote boredom or monotony, but, in this case, the repetitive act opens up contemplative space and results in sculpture harmonious with the world of nature. Dickey was in residence at NCC for one week in October; Williams was in residence for 2.5 months in the summer; Thomas visited the Center for a lecture. All three artists were present at the exhibition opening.

exhibitions

2012 exhibition artists 47 individuals


exhibitions

David AllynFelice AmatoNicholas BivinsRichard BresnahanRobert BriscoeLinda ChristiansonLisa ClagueMichael CorneyWilliam CravisGuillermo CuellarKim Dickey

Gerard Justin FerrariRyan FletcherJil FrankeAndrew GilliattAdam GruetzmacherHiroe HanazonoCasey HochhalterRina HongoClary IllianTom JaszczakMatt Jorgensen

JD JorgensonJun KanekoMatthew KrouseyBernard LeachSteven LemkeWarren MacKenzieJenny MendesJason MillerNaoto NakadaAndy NasisseMika Negishi Laidlaw

Jeff OestreichJohn ReeveRichard ShawKevin SnipesCheryl Ann ThomasJason TrebsDerek WeisbergJanet WilliamsLenneke WispelweyJanis Mars WunderlichKensuke Yamada

Emily Galusha Gallery | Regis Master: Jun KanekoNCC’s 25th Regis Master to be honored under this program, Kaneko maintains a studio in Omaha, Nebraska, where he continues to produce both large-scale ceramic and bronze sculptures, tiles, drawings, paint-ings, glass, and textiles.

11/18 – 1/6 Gallery M | 2012 Holiday Exhibition and Sale

Emily Galusha Gallery | Crossroads: Three Artists, Three Journeys, One IntersectionIn conjunction with the release of the new PBS special, Craft in Ameri-ca: Crossroads, Northern Clay Center presented the work of Clary Illian, Warren MacKenzie, and Jeff Oestreich, who are featured in this particu-lar episode of the series. The paths of these Midwestern potters were greatly influenced by the time they spent as apprentices at the Leach Pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall, England. Two of the three artists were present for the opening of the exhibition to facilitate a gallery talk and conversation about their time at the Leach Pottery. This exhibition allowed for an opportunity to break down NCC’s program silos and produce an event that overlapped with three of the major program areas (sales gallery, exhibitions, and education).

A very special thanks to the following donors for support of NCC’s exhibitions program: Continental Clay Company, Jerome Foundation, Myron and Anita Kunin, McKnight Foundation, George and Frances Reid, Windgate Charitable Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board.

Warren MacKenzie, Bowl, 2012, stoneware, 4” x 8” x 8” (photo: Peter Lee).


artist services


From left to right: 2012 Anonymous Potter Adam Gruetzmacher, throwing in his studio. 2012 McKnight Artist Pattie Chalmers. Sculpture by winter McKnight Artist-in-residence Edith Garcia (photo courtesy of the artist). Top of page: Covered box by Sunshine Cobb (photo: Peter Lee). Previous page: Chris Singewald unloading student work from NCC’s gas kiln.

artist grants

• Jerome Ceramic Artist Project Grants—three grants of $6,000 were awarded to Marion Angelica, Dustin Yager, and Nathan Bray. Funded by the Jerome Foundation, St. Paul. Selection panel: David Allyn, Ryan Fletcher, and Richard Vincent.

• McKnight Foundation Fellowships and Residency Grants—two $25,000 fellowship awards to Brian Boldon and Ursula Hargens; four $5,000 residency awards (plus free studio space and other funds) to Pattie Chalmers, Haejung Lee, Nick Renshaw, and Ann-Charlotte Ohlsson. Funded by the McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis. Selection panel: Michael Corney, Alexandra Hibbitt, and Marlene Jack.

• Fogelberg and Anonymous Potter Studio Fellowships—three awards of free studio spaces, plus firing and materials allowances, to Kevin Rhode, Josh Stover, and Adam Gruetzmacher. Fogelberg Studio Fel-lowships were funded by Soup It Up for Kids.

• Red Wing Collectors Society Foundation Award—$1,000 to an emerging potter, awarded to Margeaux Claude (selected through a nomination process). Supported by the endowed fund at NCC.

We experienced a record number of applications for our artist grants and residencies; overall, applications were up 22% from 2011.

2012 saw many new faces to the studio program—both in terms of staff-ing and artists. Our long-time studio managers, Pete Scherzer and Irene Saito, left Minnesota and the Clay Center for a warmer climate, resettling in Hawaii. While their departure left very big shoes to fill, or big pots to throw (in clay terms), with it came new faces to our studio staff and new energy and ideas to the program. We had many accomplishments in 2012. These included:

• We continued to improve the quality of our space and equipment throughout 2012, adding a new soda kiln in the fall and beginning modi-fications and improvements to the kiln room late in the year.

• We continued to provide studio space for ceramic artists at all levels of the knowledge spectrum—from emerging to mid-career, from post aca-demic programs to pre-retirement, from those who graduated from our adult classes to professionals on sabbaticals, from locals in the Seward Neighborhood to visiting international artists. Our studios were home to over 60 artists in 2012.

• Two of our studio artists were published in Pottery Making Illustrated.

• NCC produced its first annual “Mugs in Action,” which brought hand-made mugs from our studios out into the community. Studio and teach-ing artists created over 300 mugs that were later distributed outside Minneapolis and St. Paul restaurants and businesses.

2012 studio artists 63 individuals

From left to right: The kilns in action. Prepping for the studio artist mug giveaway. Rebuilding the soda kiln.


David AllynMarion AngelicaTyler AymondSue BerganSusan BuechlerTom CarliKrissy CattAlex ChinnMargeaux ClaudeHiram CochranElizabeth ColemanWilliam CravisPeter D’AscoliRay DabasiMark DavisonJack Evert

Sara FenlasonKathleen FitzGeraldEdith GarciaAdam GruetzmacherPatricia HaynesLois Ann HelgesonJeanine HillMaia HomstadFranny HydeMatthew JorgensenAndy JuelichJulie KinneyMatthew KrouseyCynthia LevineJoan LiebermanRuth Martin

Peter MastersMarilyn MathenyMarta MatrayKate MauryEmily MerharStuart MunsonSusan ObermeyerClaire O’ConnorKip O’KronglyJordon OlsenRobyn PetersonRobin PolencheckAlex ReedAngela ReneeJason RogersKevin Rohde

Kathryn RosebearJeanne RossJack RumpelChris ScottChris SingewaldAudra SmithKate SmithPhil SmithAlexis StitelerJosh StoverMolly StrotherDavid SwensonMary Ann WarkJanet WilliamsDustin Yager

studio program


education and outreach programs

Top to bottom: Firing lecture. A rapid unloading of the kiln. A group of clay campers learning handbuilding skills. Previous page: Kathy King during her 2012 APF demo. Below: Teapot by Gertrude Graham Smith (photo: Peter Lee).


Our education staff worked tirelessly to introduce new types of program-ming for first-time participants, increasing attendance in short, experien-tial workshops that enabled folks to get messy for three hours or for five weeks. For our program veterans, we looked closely at our existing buffet of offerings and began to listen with open ears to these people, to better tailor what we already do so well to this audience.

Our education attendance increased 23% over 2011. NCC’s classes and workshops for adults and kids saw their largest growth since 2007, in-creasing participation in nearly all categories. Adult classes experienced major growth, with 65 classes hosting over 715 students (up from 54 and 598, respectively, in 2011). The increase reflects our dedication to new and ever-changing class offerings, designed to entice first-time students and to better accommodate their schedules, and a greatly expanded roster of workshops for families, beginners, and advanced students alike. We con-tinued to identify ways to enhance the student experience with access to space in our teaching studios and to in-demand ceramic techniques and materials. Over 70 ceramic artists led workshops, lectures, events, and classes for NCC in 2012.

The Center’s ClayToGo program saw 6,000 youth, families, and school chil-dren in 2012, up from 5,580 in 2011. We balanced our long-time work with re-peat partners with new collaborations with such organizations as Kulture Klub, Washburn High School, Choice Inc., Dodge Nature Center, and WISE. From veterans and troubled teens to youth mentors and homeless adults, the diversity of our partners grew exponentially in 2012. Several new and returning partners sought funds of their own to leverage NCC’s support of the various ClayToGo programs.

The number of organized tours of our galleries and facility increased from 89 tours in 2011 to 107 in 2012. Youth and adults from public and private schools and community organizations had the opportunity to visit the Center and see examples of ceramic work from our students, studio artists, and gallery artists.

For our cruise members who were older and wiser, we completed our fourth, full year of programming under the Wallace Foundation Excellence in the Arts award. We’ve named our program ART@HAND and we’ve designed a variety of participatory programs for adults 55+ (and their favorite friends and family members.)

Overall, attendance in NCC’s educational programs totaled 16,600, an increase of 10% over 2012.

2012 teaching artists 73 individuals

From left to right: An NCC studio artist throwing pots at the Uptown Art Fair. NCC’s hands-on workshop during the 2012 Holiday Open House. Teaching artist, Audra Smith, sharing the secrets of throwing.


David Allyn Marion AngelicaMichael ArnoldTyler AymondMegan Bergström ShanahanBridget BlatzheimRichard BresnahanBob BriscoeLarry BrowKevin CaufieldGenevieve ChamberlandLinda ChristiansonEileen CohenElizabeth ColemanMichael CorneyWilliam CravisGuillermo CuellarMark Davison

Victoria DawesLeila DeneckeKim DickeyGerard Justin FerrariRyan FletcherJil FrankeJoel FroehleDaniel GardnerNick Giles-LauerAmber GinsburgAdam GruetzmacherHiroe HanazonoUrsula HargensMike HelkeKarin HolenErin HoltPeter JadoonathClaire James

JD JorgensonMatthew KrouseyJennica KruseMika Negishi LaidlawSteve LemkeGlynnis LessingPeter LuporiWarren MacKenzieJoe MadrigalPeter MastersAnna MetcalfeNick MoenEmily MohrbacherEli NavareteVicki NavareteChristian NovakSusan ObermeyerClaire O’Connor

Mary OtrembaKristin PavelkaRobyn PetersonAngela ReneeMason RiddleKevin RohdePete ScherzerAllison ShilinskiGinny SimsChristopher SingewaldAudra SmithDavid SwensonCheryl Ann ThomasJason TrebsDerek WeisbergJanet WilliamsLenneke WispelweyLucy Yogerst

In 2012, we conducted over 90 partnerships, reaching over 2,900 individu-als through short workshops and artist demonstrations, extended classes and residencies, and specially designed programs to meet the needs of adults 55+ at various ability levels (compared to 112 partnerships and 2466 individuals in 2011). Our partners have sought and procured grant funding on behalf of their organizations in order to provide ongoing and sustain-able programming for their residents/participants in 2013 calendar year (and beyond). NCC’s ART@HAND programs have caught the attention of ArtSage (formerly the Minnesota Creative Arts and Aging Network) and the National Creative Arts and Aging Association and, subsequently, our ART@HAND program staff were invited to present their research and program design at various gatherings and conferences throughout 2012. We are working to produce a set of best practices to share with other organizations and artists interested in this type of work.

Overall, attendance in NCC’s educational programs totaled 16,600, an increase of 10% over 2012.

Our education programs were made possible in part by continued support from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, Walter McCarthy and Clara Ueland through the Greystone Foundation, COMPAS School Arts Fund, RBC Foundation-USA, the Wallace Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board Legacy Fund.


Top to bottom: Michael Kline and Steven Colby during their tag-team APF demo. APF artist, Chandra DeBuse, doing a little APF shopping of her own. A lovely window seat for 2012 Holiday Exhibition artist Kyla Toomey. At right: Plate by Ron Meyers (photo: Peter Lee). Previous page: an ART@HAND program participant shows off her project.


The Center’s gallery continued to evolve and change during 2012. We looked closely at sales trends among our artists and worked with them to ensure we had the inventory we needed to meet the public’s de-mands. We featured exciting thematic monthly shows in what was our Artists of the Month section of our sales gallery, and invited several new artists to show and sell for shorter time periods. We worked hard to nurture relationships with our customers and took steps to ensure we delivered the highest possible level of service.

Highlights of programming included the following:

• We made strides in providing professional development opportunities to our visiting artists. We provided training in shipping and inventory, exhibition installation, and marketing, as well as sales opportunities. Additionally, we began conversations with artists and peers in the field related to gallery best practices and artist/gallery relationships.

• 2012 was NCC’s second year for online sales. We added a part-time staff person to assist with the online sales component. While in the midst of a website redesign, we slowly developed our online sales presence, fine tuned our processes and practices for selling work online, and expanded our presence electronically. Seventy-five pots were sold online in 2012, with $5,669 in sales.

• We experienced the second highest returns from our Annual Holiday Open House event, with over $15,000 in ceramic sales from the galler-ies, studio artists, and exhibition artists. Attendance was at an all time high, with over 1200 visitors present to shop the galleries, mingle with studio artists, watch an artist demonstration, and create clay creations in the hands-on workshop area.

• In total in 2012, the Center’s sales gallery represented some 90 artists from the region and across the country.

• The 2012 American Pottery Festival saw over $57,000 in sales by our visiting artists, as well as our studio and sales gallery artists. Twenty-three artists participated in the event, with 19 artists traveling to Minneapolis to take part in workshops and lectures. The Opening Night Benefit Party saw its largest attendance in ten years. The auction component of the event was greatly expanded.

sales gallery & american pottery festival

2012 sales gallery artists 92 individuals

From left to right: NCC Director, Sarah Millfelt, and Warren and Nancy MacKenzie at the 2012 Holiday Open House. The 2012 APF Artists (in attendance). Volunteer extraordinaire and former studio artist, Katharine Gotham, at the 2012 APF opening night party.


Jennifer Allen, Gallery ArtistMartye Allen, Gallery ArtistDavid Allyn, Visiting ArtistMarion Angelica, Visiting Artist and Holiday ArtistPosey Bacopoulos, Gallery ArtistMegan Shanahan Bergström, Holiday Artist Nicholas Bivins, Gallery ArtistMargaret Bohls, Gallery ArtistBirdie Boone, APF ArtistYoko Sekino Bové, Holiday ArtistWilliam Brouillard, Gallery ArtistKevin Caufield, Gallery ArtistVictoria Christen, Gallery ArtistJoe Christensen, Visiting ArtistBede Clarke, APF ArtistSunshine Cobb, APF ArtistMichael Connelly, APF ArtistMichael Corney, Holiday Artist Guillermo Cuellar, Visiting ArtistSandra Daulton Shaughnessy, Holiday ArtistChandra DeBuse, APF ArtistLeila Denecke, Gallery ArtistJosh DeWeese, Gallery ArtistPaul Dresang, Gallery ArtistSanam Emami, Gallery ArtistGary Erickson, Gallery ArtistHeather Mae Erickson, APF ArtistPaul Eshelman, Holiday ArtistJil Franke, Visiting ArtistEmily Free Wilson, Gallery ArtistWillem Gebben, APF Artist and Gallery ArtistBill Gossman, Gallery ArtistKatharine Gotham, Gallery ArtistRyan Greenheck, Gallery ArtistMel Griffin, Holiday ArtistJames Grittner, Gallery ArtistRichard Gruchalla & Carrin Rosetti, Gallery ArtistsUrsula Hargens, Holiday ArtistMike Helke, Gallery ArtistButch Holden, Gallery Artist

Meredith Host, APF ArtistMichael Hunt & Naomi Dalglish, APF ArtistsBob & Cheryl Husby, Gallery ArtistsPeter Jadoonath, Visiting ArtistSarah Jaeger, Gallery ArtistTom Jaszczak, Visiting ArtistEric Jensen, Gallery ArtistMatt Kelleher, Gallery ArtistKristen Kieffer, Gallery ArtistKathy King, APF ArtistMichael Kline, APF ArtistKarin Kraemer, Holiday Artist Gib Krohn, Gallery ArtistMatthew Krousey, Holiday Artist Jamie Lang, Gallery ArtistMartina Lantin, Holiday Artist Lee Love, Gallery ArtistWarren MacKenzie, Gallery ArtistAndrew Martin, APF ArtistRuth Martin, Gallery ArtistAlex Matisse, APF ArtistKate Maury, Visiting ArtistJan McKeachie Johnston, Gallery ArtistRon Meyers, APF ArtistMike Norman, Gallery ArtistSean O’Connell, APF Artist

Kip O’Krongly, APF ArtistJeffrey Oestreich, Gallery ArtistDonovan Palmquist, Visiting ArtistRita Panton, Holiday ArtistKristin Pavelka, Holiday Artist David Peters, APF Artist Elizabeth Robinson, Gallery ArtistS. C. Rolf, Gallery ArtistMonica Rudquist, Gallery ArtistIrene Saito, Visiting ArtistPete Scherzer, Gallery ArtistDeborah Schwartzkopf, Gallery ArtistJohanna Severson, Gallery ArtistLaurie Shaman, Gallery ArtistGertrude Graham Smith, APF ArtistZac Spates, Visiting ArtistWill Swanson, Gallery ArtistDavid Swenson, Holiday ArtistMunemitsu Taguchi, Gallery ArtistDaniel Ricardo Teran, APF ArtistKyla Toomey, APF Artist and Gallery ArtistChristy Wert, Gallery ArtistBetsy Williams, APF ArtistTara Wilson, Gallery ArtistMichael Wisner, Gallery Artist

From left to right: Crossroads exhibiting artists Warren MacKenzie and Jeff Oestreich trade stories from their time at the Leach Pottery in England. Tippy Maurant shows off her favorite APF pot.


administration and numbers

Top to bottom: Current Board Chair, Ellen Watters, and former board member, Peter Kirihara. Staff unloading clay from the Claymobile. Studio artist, Phil Smith, demos at an outdoor event. At right: Mortar and Pestle by David Peters (photo: Peter Lee). Previous page: NCC’s Sunday morning students hard at work on the potter’s wheels.


2012 was filled with new opportunities and responsibilities for long-time staff and new recruits, as programs grew and a few staff members moved on to other opportunities.

Sarah Millfelt completed her first full year as director, having replaced Emily Galusha late in 2011. She, along with the lead program staff, participated in a series of staff development sessions, led by an outside consultant, that were designed to re-energize the team, introduce a new management style, and find effective means of communication and work-flow.

NCC’s long-time studio managers, Pete Scherzer and Irene Saito, left their posts and moved to Hawaii to be closer to family and to focus on making their own ceramic wares. Michael Arnold joined our staff as the exhibitions manager, in the fall of 2012, replacing Theresa Downing, who left NCC to teach in academia. NCC veteran, Jamie Lang, returned to the Center as our exhibitions installer, working closely with Arnold during two-week installation periods. Adam Gruetzmacher and Audra Smith joined the technician team, while Chris Singewald moved from materials technician to outreach technician. Chelsea Kelley joined the sales gallery staff in the fall of 2012.

The Center completed its buy-out of the Seward Neighborhood Group’s portion of its 2424 Franklin Avenue building, NCC’s original tenant in common. The buy-out was completed in August of 2012.

In the summer of 2012, NCC staff and board participated in a series of strategic planning sessions (some of which were facilitated by an outside consultant), the efforts of which yielded four new major strategic objectives under which the Center will operate for the next three to five years. These include:

1. Enhance all NCC online offerings and grow NCC online ceramic sales.2. Increase visitors, sales and organizational visibility through renovation of physical

facility and a new customer-focused culture.3. Extend NCC’s mission through new partnerships, convenings, and conversations4. Enhance offerings to artists at all stages of their careers.

Our fourth-quarter programming and planning for 2013 connected to these new objectives.

While 2011 provided NCC with numerous opportunities to learn more about its audience, 2012 allowed us the time and staff resources to act on our findings and grow audiences across program areas. Only two categories fell below 2011’s numbers: tours and American Pottery Festival attendance; both of these programs are being scrutinized and redesigned in an effort to broaden our audience in 2013. We continued to grow our audience of 55+ participants in our ART@HAND programs. We dramatically revamped our workshop and lecture program as we responded to students’ needs and desires. Ultimately, our workshop enrollment more than doubled in 2012, both in numbers of programs and participants.

Despite the political and economical challenges presented in 2012, the Clay Center maintained strong financials and ended the year in the black. Our education and work-shop earned income surpassed budget and last year’s totals; we greatly exceeded our exhibition sales expectations; regular sales gallery sales exceeded budget and our 2011 actuals. Our top gallery seller, Warren MacKenzie, has accounted for a great percentage of total sales for several years. In 2012, his sales account for just 6.7% of overall sales, as compared to 9.6% in 2011, which means we are selling more work of more individuals in our gallery and are less reliant on this one individual’s production.

The Clay Center had an impressive year of sup-port for individual artists. Over $439,000 was paid to artists in grants, teaching fees, and commis-sions, bringing the total paid to artists since 1995 to just over six million. Our year-end ceramic sales were $321,272 (which includes sales from the gallery, APF, and exhibition sales), $11,000 over our 2011 sales.

From left to right: Self-[Contained] exhibition artist, Michael Corney, during a workshop. How many NCC staff does it take to install a Jun Kaneko sculpture? Packing a sculpture by Janis Mars Wunderlich.


Income

Contributions: Contributions

Contributions: MCDA Loan Forgiveness

Contributions: In-Kind Legal Fees

Earned Income: Program Fees, Interest, Misc.

Earned Income: Sales Gallery, APF, Exhibitions

Earned Income: Membership Dues

Expenses

Education

Exhibitions

Artist Services

Sales Gallery

American Pottery Festival

20th Anniversary Related

Management, Fundraising

Reserve Allocation

$634,395

earned income

$293,541 $569,449

$18,070

contributions $97,075$24,368

$523,881$267,072

$220,860

$18,446$91,806

$145,282

$140,000

$281,830

When our cruise ship finally docked at 2424 Franklin Avenue East at the end of 2012, the financial results of our journey were surprising and heartening. Our financial performance in 2012 ensured that NCC could add to its reserves for building, operations, and program funds. We finished the year with a net income of $52,365. An additional $121,442 in non-monetary contributed income is included in the figures below, which reflects the value of the in-kind legal counsel for our buyout of the Neighborhood Group and the forgiveness of the final portion of our contingency loan from the City of Minneapolis.

2012 year-end balance sheet

ASSETS Current Assets $1,058,040.00 Noncurrent Assets $2,742,057.00

TOTAL ASSETS $3,800,097.00

LIABILITIES Accounts Payable $72,176.00 Other Liabilities $217,433.00 Unrestricted Net Assets $2,363,759.00 Temporarily Restricted Net Assets $1,116,729.00 Permanently Restricted Net Assets $30,000.00

TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS $3,800,097.00


people


From left to right: Studio artist, Kip O’Krongly, working on some plate forms. NCC exhibitions team working to prepare the galleries. The king of NCC’s firing classes, Daniel Gardner, unloads some hot pots. Top of page: Plate by Meredith Host (photo: Peter Lee). Previous page: 2012 Fogelberg Artist, Kevin Rohde, hard at work.

Our ability to do what we did so well in 2012 hinged on the support from several constituencies: our artists, students, teachers, board, volun-teers, and staff; those who love and delight in the material itself; and our very generous funders. These individuals work in a variety of capacities to ensure our doors stay open, our kilns continue firing, our teachers keep teaching, our artists keep making, etc.

Northern Clay Center’s Board of Directors worked endlessly to support the Center’s leadership transition. Dozens of other volunteers listed below gave hours upon hours of their time and talents to ensure NCC’s 2012 programming was successful. While space does not allow for us to expand on the myriad of ways they supported our organization, we are eternally grateful to have their support. In addition to the efforts of our unpaid supporters, the NCC staff worked countless hours over countless evenings and weekends to ensure only the highest quality of program-ming was produced by NCC. The Center is incredibly lucky to employ the talents of so many spirited, committed, and passionate individuals.

From left to right: A rare shot of the full NCC staff during the holiday season. Scott Pikovsky of Great Ciao! serves up some fancy accoutrements during the 2012 Food and Wine Event while board member, Mark Lellman, watches. Another great photobooth moment at the Hats off Party with (clockwise from top left) Board Chair Ellen Watters, teaching artist Lucy Yogerst, board member Sally Wheaton Huscha, and Director Emerita Emily Galusha.


staff (with 2012 titles)

Sarah Millfelt, DirectorMichael Arnold, Exhibitions Manager (from September)Margeaux Claude, Sales Gallery Assistant (to September)Elizabeth Coleman, Sales Gallery Coordinator Theresa Downing, Exhibitions Manager and Curator (to July)Jessie Fan, Bookkeeper Elizabeth Flinsch-Garrison, Education and Outreach Director Adam Gruetzmacher, Building Maintenance (from June)Jeanine Hill, Studio and Facilities Manager (from September)Chelsea Kelly, Sales Gallery Assistant (from October)Matt Krousey, Sales Gallery AssistantKaren McPherson, Sales Gallery and Special Events Manager Christian Novak, Information and Artists Grants Manager Jason Rogers, Sales Gallery Assistant (to June)Irene Saito, Assistant Studio Manager (to August)Pete Scherzer, Facility and Studio Program Manager (to August)Chris Singewald, Outreach Technician Audra Smith, Materials Technician (from October)David Swenson, Building Maintenance (to June)Jennifer Tatsuda, Business Manager Dustin Yager, Education and WEA Marketing Manager

Lynne Alpert Robert Briscoe Philip Burke Sheldon Chester Linda Coffey Debra Cohen Nancy Hanily-DolanBonita Hill, M.D. Sally Wheaton Hushcha Pat Jacobsen Christopher Jozwiak Peter Kirihara

Rebecca Lawrence Mark Lellman Bruce Lilly Teresa Matsui Sanders Alan Naylor Mark Pharis Jim Ridenour Rick Scott T Cody Turnquist Robert WalshEllen Watters

board of directors (served all or part of 2012)

people

Marion Angelica Bob ArnoldyTyler AymondDeanna BarrHeron BassetAnna BeadleDominique BereiterLois BermanKate BraymanEvelyn BrowneKevin CaufieldGenevieve ChamberlandJoyce ClarkinEileen CohenMariette ColeGoldyne CunninghamAcadia DavisMark DavisonVictoria DawesAmanda DobbratzLauren DuffyElaine DunbarAwel EneanyaSusan FeigenbaumSara FenlasonKathleen FitzGeraldTony FremlingDiane GammViolet GoodeKatharine GothamSheryl GrassieGrant GustafsonUve HamiltonBette HartMike HelkeKristine HitesLucas HitesFranny HydeClaire JamesSheila KeefeEvelyn KimJennica KruseBri LarsonMark LasoffAnn LeitelMarc LeMaireErin LewisSamantha LongleyJoseph MartinMarta Matray

Teresa Matsui SandersTippy MaurantKate MauryCandice MetheLarry MillfeltPat MillfeltEmily MorbacherJim MulfingerAimee MunsonKarla NagyMeagan NishiMel NorthSusan ObermeyerJordon OlsenPatti OlsonSarah OstrumMary OtrembaErin ParadisElizabeth PechacekBrittany PetersonIvan PetersonRobyn PetersonIan PetrieMary RadfordAlex ReedAngela ReneeKevin RohdeKelsie RudolphJack RumpelBrenda RyanSue SchweitzerRay SerranoHerb SewellSuzy SewellGinny SimsAudra SmithKate SmithPhil SmithGary SteinmanJosh StoverLynn StraussAvery SwansonBetsy TapperWendy ThoresonHeather TietzJulie TimmDianne WalshHeather Wang Bob WickLucy Yogerst

Top to bottom: Studio artist, Marta Matray, and long-time student, Jim Mulfinger, enjoy-ing an opening reception. A rare, behind-the-scenes look at the American Pottery Festival food preparation. Grill master, Joseph Martin, mans the grill during the APF opening night party.


volunteers 106 individuals


members and donors

Top to bottom: Work by Mika Negishi Laidlaw in the Seven McKnight Artists exhibition. Tour guide, Gary Steinman, shares his enthusiasm for clay with some new visitors. J.D. Jorgenson’s woodfire kiln in action with workshop participants looking on (photo courtesy of J.D. Jorgenson). Previous page: Kate Maury, studio artist, putting the finishing touches on a sculpture.


members and donors

AnonymousAndriana AbariotesMary Abbe and Norton HintzMartha AbbottMark Abeln and Monica LittleAl AlbertMichele AllenFelice AmatoPatricia AmersonJanet AndersonJudith AndersonMarion AngelicaTom ArnesonBob ArnoldyJessica Askew and David GalleMartha and Bruce AtwaterBarbara BachPosey BacopoulosMary Ann and David WarkCatherine BartlettJames BassMary K. Baumann and

Will HopkinsAnna BeadleBetty BeckCarol BeckJerry BelttLisa BenishBrent BenrudDominique and David BereiterAmy BergquistLois BermanSharon BigotColleen BindleyCraig and Cathy BishopAlice BiverEllen BjorkRobin BlockSuzanne BockstedtPamela BonzeletAndy and Linda BossJames BottomleyMartha BrandHeather Nameth Bren and

Wade BrenRobert BriscoeEmilie BrittonIrene BronsSheila and Dan BroughtonMarshall and Cindy BrowneEvelyn BrownePhilip and Carolyn BrunelleLisa BuckPhilip BurkeLynda BuscisChristine BussJohn T. ButlerTee CampionRachel Cartee-SothAmy CassGenevieve ChamberlandMikaela ChangSheldon and Lili ChesterLinda ChristiansonKate ChristopherJoyce ClarkinHiram and Mary Cochran

Linda CoffeyDebra CohenMariette ColeKobi ConawayKelly Connole and Anne Had-

dadAllison ConyersSage CowlesRussell Cowles and

Josine PetersTom CoyneSharon Creamer and

Bryce AdamsTheresa CrosbyCarol CroweTheresa CrushshonGuillermo CuellarDouglas and

Goldyne CunninghamAndy CurrieDeane CurtinPeter D’AscoliTroy DahnkeWilliam and Catherine DaleyDiane DamerKen DarlingKathleen DavisJulia W. DaytonMary Lee DaytonRuth DeYoung KohlerMel Dickstein William DikelLinda DonaldsonRuth DonhoweDavid DothPatrick Doust and

Richard NorthJeanne Baker DriscollJan DuddlestonJoseph Duffy and

Lois West DuffyLea DumaJean Ann DuradesPatricia DurstStanley and Sue EfronEthan EidJim EllisonJudy EmmingsKathleen O. EricksonGreg EvensonKale FajardoSusan FeigenbaumKaywin Feldman and Jim LutzSara Fenlason and Trish KirkMarko FieldsBonnie FisherFrank FitzgeraldBernice FolzKen FordM. Renata FossettDick and Jodi FranceJil FrankeJulia FroemkeSally FryNaomi FujiokaCharles Fuller and

Constance Mayeron Cowles

Nancy FushanCatherine FutterKathleen GabrielsenRobert GaertnerRuthan GagnerEmily Galusha and Don McNeilNoriko GamblinDiane GammJoan L. GardnerCatherine GarraWalter Gegner and

Glenee SalmonKaren GershowitzJeannette GerstenbergerNancy GianoliGretchen and Douglas GildnerJoline Gitis and Steven MilesKatharine Gotham and

James PoradekIrving GottesmanJim Goulet and Ray NelsonElly GraceBetty Grant and William CaseyLarry GravitzColleen GregorJames GrittnerGrant GustafsonMyra Hackfort-RoufsRobert HainlenSue HallNancy Hanily-DolanKathryn HannaRobyn HansenValorie and Jerry HarlowPeter Harper and

Monique MuggliDonna L. HarringtonJulie HarrisBette HartBlanche and Thane HawkinsPatricia HaynesDianne HeinsBill HelgesonConnie and Lyle HelkeLaurel HendricksonJoan HiginbothamBonita HillKristine E. HitesCynthia and Russell HobbieRachael Hoffman-DacheletKarin HolenLinda HollidaySteven HoppenrathDiana S. HorriganKay HoskinsLeAnn HotovecM.A. HowardAmy L. HubbardMary HuettlNorma Rae HuntRobert Hunter Sally Wheaton HushchaLarry HutchingsMary Ingebrand-PohladCynthia and Jay IhlenfeldPat JacobsenBrent Johnson


Carol A. JohnsonDouglas L. JohnsonJanet R. JohnsonJason JohnsonJo and Quintin JohnsonRichard Johnson and

Mary Kalish-JohnsonRandy Johnston and

Jan McKeachie-JohnstonDenis JonesPatricia JonesSteven JongewaardChristopher Jozwiak and

Anders CarlsonRichard JuckelSteve A. KahlenbeckKyoko KatayamaJo KayserKaren Margaret KeenenJim KelleyCarla KennedyLyndel and Blaine KingKelly KinneyDeborah and Jay KiriharaJames A. KleinMaren KloppmannMichael KochAnita Sue KolmanRobert KostGinny KrausJosh and Willow KreibichBen KremenakBetsy KremserGib and Judy KrohnAlexandra KulijewiczMyron and Anita KuninJerome KylloBouky LabhardMark LasoffLizzy LawrenceJohn LayerLinda LeClairKristine Legler KaplanAnn LeitelMark Lellman and Lisa BrownJames W. LewisRon Linde and Rob OstranderRandall LockridgeJan Lodewijk GrootaersSusanna LodgeAnn Longfellow and David BryanLee LoveWeiming LuKathy LucasRobert LucasCatherine and Peter LuporiSarah Lutman and Rob RudolphWarren and Nancy MacKenzieSuellen MaddenNancy G. MalmonMary C. MalteseRoger B. MandelKatherine MannGretchen MarshallRuth MartinMarilyn MathenyLisa MathiesonTeresa Matsui SandersChris MatterHoward Mattson

Susan McAninchRob McCarter and

Texas HemmaplardhSam and Patty McCulloughCarla McGrath and Cole RogersSarah McGrillDavid and Esther McLaughlinRebecca McPeekDaniel G. MelbergLotte MelmanSusan MerrickDiane A. MerrifieldSharon MerrittRobert and Mary MerskyMaureen MesserLisa Meyer and Sam GrabarskiClark Miller and Sabra WaldfogelLarry and Pat MillfeltSarah Millfelt and Mike HelkeDiane MillnerSheila and James MoarRobert and Kathy MoeNick, Julia, and Scott MoenMargaret MolinaWalter and Joan MondaleGary MooreGeorge MooreJohn MorleyLinda MorseKarin MuchemoreJim MulfingerNathan and Aimee MunsonTom MyersRosanne NathansonAlan and Dena NaylorHal NegbaurClareyse NelsonDiane Neumark-SztainerJanet NevilleMelody NgAnne NickoloffStuart and Kate NielsenMary Ann NordMeredith NorstromMel North and Philip MillerPaul and Susan NovakSallie O’BrienJeffrey OestreichGretchen OttoKristen K. PalmSusan PalmerPhilip R. and Debra PalmquistAllegra ParkerCarol PattMarcia PaulDawn PaulsonCynthia PawlcynSandra PenningDouglas R. PetersonRobyn PetersonShannon PetersonMark PharisSydney M. PhillipsJay PhinneyMarjorie PitzThomas Pohlman and

Robyn MurrayGinna Portman-AmisClaudia Poser and Ron OfsteadJane Powers

Harriet and Walter PrattEmily PriceConstance PriesRyan PrinsDuane PulfordMary RacciattiMary RadfordMelissa Rappaport SchifmanKraig RasmussenBill ReadElizabeth RedleafLawrence M. RedmondVicki ReeceGeorge ReidJohanna ReiterKaren RiccioMason RiddleJim and Susan RidenourBarbara RiesSarah RoddisSara RogersSteve and Jacky RolfMichael and Tamara RootMarilyn and Mark RosbergMary and Tom RoseKathryn RosebearRichard Rosenberg and

Mickey O’KaneJeanne RossTed RowlandDr. Joseph RubinMonica RudquistJack RumpelSuzanne RunteMartha RussellJim Rustad and Kay ThomasBrenda RyanGerald SandersNate SaundersSusanne SavettRichard ScarlettBarry SchaudtNaomi SchemanMary SchirberTom SchmitJanelle SchnadtSue SchweitzerRick ScottMary SeieroeRamon SerranoJohanna Severson Herb and Suzy SewellIris and Luka Shaker-CheckSharon ShapiroIrving and Janet ShapiroDavid ShelbyJuliane ShibataB.J. ShigakiRob SilbermanRich and Louise SimonsNan Skelton and Peter LeachPhil and Kate SmithSusan Smith SwansonForrest SnyderJohn SokalskiJim SpectorSusan SpencerRichard SpillerJudy G. Falconer SrsenMark N. Stageberg

Sheila and Roger StagebergTom M. StarkYvonne SterioffAndrea SternMichael StonerMic StowellPatricia StrandnessMarco SuemnickAnne SummersSarah SweattJennifer and Charles TatsudaBob TaylorSusan Thornton and Gordon

AppleMariann TiblinTara L. TiesoLaura Tiffany and Ned FosterPatrick TowerT Cody TurnquistSteve UchytilPeter UllmanValerie UmscheidPaul VahleDouglas Vukson-Van BeekLynn WadsworthMartha WalshRobert J. and Dianne E. WalshConnie Gunderson WarnerAase WarrenJennifer WarrenRuth and David WaterburyEllen Watters and Ann FendorfBobette WeberSara WeinerDiane S. WernessJim and Sue WestermanMichele WiegandFrank and Frances WilkinsonLeigh WilliamsTom WillisSharon and Cal WilsonPenny WintonJames Wittenberg and

J. Pamela WeinerJean WoodJames Woodman and

Susan WeidnerDouglas C. WyckoffAnn J. WyniaJulie YeagerCynthia YoungPamela ZagariaSri ZaheerBetty and Harold ZatsMichael ZiomkoJeanne ZlonisDavid Zucco and Justin Newhall

members and donors

members and donors


institutional donors

Ameriprise FinancialElmer L. & Eleanor J. Andersen FoundationAnonymousBNSF Railway FoundationThe Boss FoundationHarlan Boss Foundation for the ArtsBreadsmithThe Bush FoundationPatrick and Aimee Butler Family FoundationMargaret A. Cargill FoundationCOMPASContinental Clay CompanyCreate CateringThe Douglas and Wendy Dayton FoundationArthur T. Erickson FoundationGardens of SalonicaGeneral Mills FoundationGreat Ciao!Walter McCarthy and Clara Ueland through the Greystone FoundationJohn L. and Catherine J. Hill Charitable Gift FundIBM International FoundationJerome FoundationThe McKnight FoundationMicrosoft©Minnesota State Arts BoardMinnesota Women Ceramic ArtistsNew French BakeryPeregrine Capital Management, Inc. Fund of The Minneapolis FoundationPrinting Enterprises, Inc.RBC Wealth ManagementRed Wing Collectors Society FoundationRegis and FriendsRiver Road FoundationRobert Steinman Family Charitable FoundationRobins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.Soup It Up for Kids, Inc.Edson and Harriet Spencer Fund of the Minneapolis FoundationR.E. Swager Family FoundationTargetUnited Arts Fund, including contributions from hundreds of employees at

companies throughout Minnesota.US Bancorp FoundationThe Wallace FoundationThe Weiss and Raible FamilyWells FargoWindgate Charitable Foundation

These institutions provided support for general operations, as well as for specific projects and programs. In some instances, they have been providing such support for the Clay Center, as well as sister arts orga-nizations in the region, for decades. With continued confidence in our management, the quality of our programs, and our efforts to advance the ceramic arts, support from our institutional donors has enabled us to continue to exist, to adapt and change to meet the needs of our audi-ence, to better serve ceramic artists and the art form, and to weather the political, economic, and social changes in today’s world. We thank them sincerely.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, As well as by a generous grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Northern Clay Center 2011 Annual Report | Page 30Northern Clay Center 2011 Annual Report | Page 30

Documents

Download 2012 Annual Report (3.84MB pdf) - Northern Clay Center