My ceramic studio takes up the first floor of my eclectic home in the unceded territory of the Coast Salish First Nations on beautiful Salt Spring Island.

I have raised my twin 14-year-old daughters as a single mother while successfully selling small batch porcelain tableware locally and nationally for nearly 20 years.

Early on, I began squeezing in the many requests for clay lessons and mentorship alongside my professional studio practice.

Completing six years of post secondary education in ceramics / design  and working in studios in Canada and the UK gave me the experience to thoughtfully create teaching models that could accommodate absolute beginners through advanced, expanding into critique and process refinement.

Intimate class sizes for my consecutive-day workshops support each student into a personal “flow”, helping them capture their visual language through curiosity and non-judgment.

I mentor many local advanced students’ work through to retail-ready, teach glaze technology, provide kiln space for firing and even help excited new potters install their own working studio spaces/kilns.

I like to think that my passion for excellence, dedication and humour translate directly into my workshops, and it seems it does!

In no time at all my studio and home turned into a community (and larger community) creative hub and clay resource centre buzzing with cups of tea and laughter.

My tiny studio has now bristled with nearly 1000 students, youth classes and home school programs over the past twelve years. The classes have grown to accommodate approximately 140 students per year!

My own clay practice has waned.  Teaching and mentoring has transitioned to being my foremost passion for three years, accounting for 90% of my time.

Over the years I have invested, when I could, to better accommodate my students and their growing needs. (approx $50,000 in equipment *list available)

I built a small covered area for students in the summer, purchased a new kiln and repurposed my sales showroom into an additional teaching space.

Bit by bit I acquired a motley crew of eight used wheels, tables, chairs and many clay tools.

More recently, when COVID hit I purchased two 20 x 20 event tents and successfully taught safe workshops and supported many drop in local students.

WHY THIS SCHOOL MATTERS

95% of my students are women.

Genuinely, I connect with and gently challenge every single student. 

Even out of workshop hours, everyone knows the kettle is on and my ear is always open.

There has been hardly a day in the past eight years that my studio hasn’t had a student working on their pots, dropping off projects to fire, picking up clay or chatting and sharing creative resources.

When working with our hands our periphery opens, allowing us to discuss and share with vulnerability and abandon. It is pure magic to witness the lasting friendships, community built and problems solved in my studio.

In my first workshops many conversations exposed me to the many social and financial gaps in our communities for women needing creativity and companionship.

Rarely do we get to step out of our lives and afford ourselves creativity.

Shoving your hands into clay, plunging them into water… such direct and visceral experiences bring you into your body and out of your “head”.

Realizing that my workshops are a form of therapy, the mandate of my studio has always been:

To create equal and purposeful access to the healing and empowerment that clay offers

For twelve years I have successfully achieved this mandate by creating two studio programs:

Assistant Program

For lower income clay enthusiasts

Two students a year become my assistants under a work/trade set up.

Working next to me, they help me complete the studio’s student work from my workshops (about 4-8 hours a week on their schedule: set up, clean up, glazing, loading and unloading the kiln)

In exchange, they have free non-stop access to the studio, most supplies, equipment and mentorship.

If they so choose, I help them refine a finished body of work through to being retail ready. This includes skill based training, techniques, design competencies, glaze and kiln technology.

I have had over twenty assistants – All of whom are now extended family.  Many of them now successfully sell their own work and have the skills to run their own studio practices.

How I choose: The assistant spots are given organically to students that show a desire to grow their skills, a committed attitude and a strong work ethic.

There has never been a problem finding these deserving people…they also always have a way of finding me. *Please see the “Assistant Program Contribution”

*Please check out and follow the work of these talented students/assistants:

Nova Cogswell Ceramics
Claire Robertson Art
Moon Child Pottery
Marmalade and Mud
Caballo Blanco Art
Kat Marie Pottery
Sweethaven Hands
Floral and Sweet
Betty Durieux
Jane Wrinch Pottery
Kith and Kiln Pottery
Emily Downing Ceramics

Women’s Legacy Program:

I purposefully and anonymously give ten or more workshops per year to women in need of creative time and its therapy. Each spot is worth min $325.

I quietly choose to support cancer fighters, women in grief, exhausted mothers, and women who have experienced violence from our island community.

This is the best part of my job!

Recently I have developed a student program alongside IWAV (Islanders Working Against Violence).  With the new space I can extend free anonymous classes to women staying at the IWAV transition house and secondary housing or accessing IWAV counseling and outreach programs. *Please see the “Women’s Legacy Contribution”

These programs have led to many successful, healing stories.

From my hundreds of students to my beloved assistants, it is these creative experiences and connections that have turned this tiny clay studio into a school.

Please help me maintain, support and serve the beautiful community that has organically formed here.

THE CHALLENGE: STUDENT SPACE

• My students and I share a cozy 275 ft² space with one outdoor sink!
• My daughters and I share our bathroom and kitchen with all my students.
• There is a limited shelving area so I also use the top of my washer and dryer as storage tables and as a glaze making space.
• We all share one outdoor sink and purpose buckets to reuse water. This can be very cold in winter and buckets fill with mosquito larvae in summer.
• Students can be very uncomfortable in heat waves under the tents and get quite cold when there are downpours.
• Teaching outside is wonderful but the work is often stressed either in the heat or not drying at all in rainy weather. Consequently, I run hundreds of pots back and forth from the tents to the indoor studio (over 60 ft each way) attempting to rescue student projects.
• The student glazes and clay cannot freeze – more storage space is needed. I wrap them in blankets outside in winter, I fight with glazes drying up in summer.
• Workshops halt for most of the winter months due to indoor space limitation and COVID safety protocols. Unfortunately the darker months are the time people really need to keep their hands busy!
• To help keep students making in the winter I lend wheels out, but their careful, ongoing delivery eventually causes damage to the equipment.
• In the colder months much of the unused equipment is being put in harm’s way under my outdoor covered area.
• The creative need has shifted:
  • Alongside my ongoing workshops, my intermediate students (who now have solid skill sets) need a different model moving forward to meet their growing needs.
  • ie: Drop-ins, advanced classes, one on one guidance, critique, glaze and kiln / technical classes which demand more space for self-guided study.

The studio-build-team and I have designed a larger studio school building to accommodate a sustainable community learning environment.

The 750 square foot space would include modular, dynamic indoor and large covered outdoor spaces effective for classes and student self-directed study year round. There will be a small bathroom, indoor and outdoor sinks, a safe glaze making area and safe storage for all materials and equipment.

CHALLENGE

With one household income I have hit my limit of what I can personally invest, save and borrow.

CURRENT INVESTMENTS IN SCHOOL STUDIO:

• $50,000 in equipment over time.
• $8,000 worth of drawings, permits.
• Completed architectural design, plans and renderings.
• Accepted CRD building permit and Islands Trust approval.
• Septic and water tested and approved for responsible studio use.
• Building estimate.
• We are ready to break ground!

FUNDS RAISED & SAVED TO DATE:

• $40,000 RRRF loan – Regional Relief and Recovery Fund Loan from Community Futures Development, Cowichan Region. 
• $12,000 Lobstick Foundation grant for my successful work with women in need.
• $30,000 in savings to put towards the project.

** I am needing $180,000 to complete the $260,000 school studio **

YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO $260,000 WILL PROVIDE THE BASIC COMPLETION OF:

• Excavation
• Materials and building of 750ft studio with toilet
• Outdoor covered concrete work patios
• Plumbing
• Modular electrical system
• Completed building as per drawings/CRD. Heated and insulated.
• Modular work tables and new sink system.

LOCAL SALT SPRING STUDIO BUILD TEAM:

Designer – Darcy Graham
Builder and contractor – Bruce Graham
Architectural Technologist – Lahni Wickland
Plumbing – Scott Antonik
Electrician – Pete Schure : Schure Thing Electrical Ltd.
Excavation – Ryan Bradley
Concrete Flat Work – Henry Suderman

IF THIS GOAL IS ACHIEVED IN EXCESS

The contributions will fund these needed items:

• Cost of moving all indoor equipment and kilns into place
• Extra costs for insurance and hydro for the first year
• Sustainable water catchment and re-use systems
• Newer student wheels and equipment
• Online booking program
• Help with wage for studio technical assistant for the first year open. I can afford this wage after the first year open.
• A small separate showroom for events (as per CRD)
• Dry storage for equipment and supplies
• Landscaping for student tea garden
• Get the raku and salt kiln up and working for students
• *The big dream is to develop a way to share this school’s concept with other ceramic communities! 

IF THE GOAL IS NOT REACHED

The contributions raised will help:

• Make the outdoor extension leakproof with a more permanent roofing system
• Upgrade and make permanent the existing 20 x 20 tent system
• Help with maintenance of older wheels
• Refinish current work tables with fresh canvas
• Rent a storage container for extra wheels, supplies and glazes for winters
• Upgrade the lighting in the current studio
• Purchase another outdoor heater for cooler weather
• Successfully continue with the assistant and women’s legacy models

An article in the Driftwood about the Studio School project.

I spent some time with the lovely Sheryl MacKay, on her CBC show, North by Northwest, discussing my passion for ceramics and teaching.

I was interviewed by CBC radio discussing “HAND MADE IN THE TIME OF COVID” on All Points West in 2020.

Here is the Saltine blog article written about my outdoor studio.

Upcoming: FOLKLIFE magazine article

“This is a full hearted endorsement for a pottery studio run by Julie for this community. I believe what Julie is offering is what this island is all about. When this pandemic began I wondered how I would handle the stress and how I would find a creative center to ride it out. I found Julie and her classes and they have been my anchor and my wings.

Julie is not just a pottery teacher, but a creative guide into the heart of art here on Salt Spring. She challenged me and pushed me to explore my boundaries in art all the while protecting my health and showing me what it means to be a part of this beautiful community. She opened her doors and heart to all of us while so many doors were shutting in lockdown.

Julie is Salt Spring, and all the reasons I wanted to move here. We need art. We need a place to gather, a place to share. We need someone as full of heart and sunshine and smiles as Julie to be our guide as we explore ourselves in art, and life as an artist. Now more than ever.”

– Sabrina Lloyd

“For all the years I have known her, Julie has been providing a space for (mostly) women to learn to work with clay and find a place to be creatively expressive and emotionally supported.

This is a space of COMMUNITY LOVE IN ACTION. She provides the space and time to others, often not being paid for the classes, many of which she generously gifts to women who need a creative and healing space. She subscribes to the BIG LOVE first theory of life: always make room for those who NEED to be in the studio, regardless of whether or not they have the resources to pay. Her tiny space has been full to the brim with people since she started teaching; I imagine the possibilities a new larger space could provide. Yes more room for those who want to learn, but I think of the ripple out effect of more capacity for creativity and healing in our community. Women going back to their families, jobs, lives with hearts full and creative juices flowing. I cannot emphasize the incredible mental health benefits of what Julie’s studio provides. I have left her teaching space a human MORE CAPABLE of creativity yes,  but also more capable of bringing more empathy and kindness and joy to my life.”

– Adina Hildebrandt
   Owner SaltSpring Books

“Julie MacKinnon is an inspiring artist, master of her craft and a very generous instructor. She reaches a broad audience in her workshops, working with children, adults approaching clay recreationally and also with artists to explore ceramics from a multimedia and interdisciplinary approach.

Julie’s workshops introduce many children, including my own, to ceramic work in a way that is open, responsive and accessible.

Her workshops with adults connect participants, building a sense of community through the creative, supportive, and encouraging environment that Julie cultivates.  There are two distinct aspects to being a successful craft educator, helping the student develop an understanding of the materiality and process, and in assisting the student to find and be comfortable with their own creative aesthetic. Julie does both of these exceptionally. 

Julie’s workshops are based in the experience of learning a craft, but as creative gatherings, improve the overall social fabric and mental health  of our community.

Her work with me as a mentor/facilitator allowed me, as a textile artist,  to explore this medium freely. Julie provided me with all the technical information I needed, and some creative prompts to allow for more free personal expression in this medium. Working with Julie allowed me to create a full multimedia installation for exhibition, that had more visual complexity and depth of expression than I would have achieved without her assistance. While Julie’s work has its own very strong aesthetic, she does not impose this on her students, but invites and supports them to find their own creative signature.

Julie’s work reaches a widespread audience with many returning students. This is important to all craft practice in developing new audiences and practitioners;  ones that have a strong understanding of and appreciation for material, process, and design.”

– Fiona Duthie
  Fibre Artist + Educator
  www.fionaduthie.com

“Julie is a phenomenal teacher and artist of ceramics, as well as a delight to work and learn alongside as her assistant.

People are drawn to Julie’s warm, creatively spontaneous and down-to-earth personality, which shines through with great humour in her monthly pottery workshops. Julie has a remarkable way of guiding her students to find their unique areas of strength, and makes everyone feel proud of their creations in the process. The community would greatly benefit from having a gathering space to continue or begin their pursuits in clay, most especially under the loving guidance of Julie as their teacher and wealth of knowledge. It is easy to see how Julie has positively impacted this community; simply by spending a day at her home and conversing with a welcome stream of visitors, listening to her phone ring off the hook, reading her many letters of thanks pinned about her studio, or witnessing the appreciation firsthand, during one of her highly esteemed workshops.

For myself, I can say that I am truly blessed to have made such a beautiful connection and friendship with Julie, and to have been brought under her wing in more ways than one. The hot cups of tea are endless, of laughter there is plenty, and without a doubt her creative support in my personal development has been invaluable.”

– Sky Young

“I have so much gratitude for Julie MacKinnon for inspiring my inner ceramic geek to unfold. Playing with clay is a way I ground and connect with wonder and possibly. It’s therapy and joy and feeds me like no other art form.

Julie MacKinnon Ceramics classes have transformed my life. I work full time, and my hobby with clay keeps me in balance. The outside noise of the world is muted when my fingers touch the raw wet clay. The exploration with this medium is endless, and I’m so happy to be on the journey.”

– Tisha Boulter

”I had the pleasure of working with Ms. MacKinnon last year when I approached her to organize a pottery course for a group of children (ages 6 to 11) on Salt Spring Island. Ms. MacKinnon was enthusiastic and responsive. She designed an instructive hands-on, multi-session curriculum that was fun and inspiring. The combination of her technical knowledge, kindness, and genuine enjoyment of her craft make her a remarkable teacher. She is able to create an environment in which every child feels welcomed and supported by focusing on skills, process and fun rather than just production. In the children’s class, she did an excellent job expanding their understanding of the possibility of clay and encouraging them to open-up their imaginations. Each child left with a box of completed pottery and dozens of ideas for their next projects.

Ms. MacKinnon is a gifted artist, respected businesswomen and exceptional teacher.”

– Elizabeth FitzZaland