Why you Should Follow these Pottery Brands led by Women Artists?

Twenty-five thousand years ago, an individual moulded and shaped clay into a female figurine. This prehistoric craft, which continues to unravel its significance, beautifully encapsulates form, function, and design. Since then, women have been intrinsic to the art of ceramics, from muse to maker, patron and user.

The art of ceramics represents the fabric of time that seamlessly weaves utility, traditional handicraft, design, and artistic expression. Clay, a diverse medium to make ceramics, is used to make beautiful handcrafted pieces, be it sculptural artwork, tableware, jewellery, or everyday basics. Golden Bridge Pottery, Puducherry, and Andretta Pottery, Himachal Pradesh, are household names in the pottery community that have paved the way for generations of modern-day potters. This article takes a look at a few women-led small businesses creating waves in the ceramics industry. These brands showcase resilience, creativity and entrepreneurial skills that solidify this prehistoric art in the 21st century.

 

Source: Tanushree Singh, Goa. (Top) Intimacy, wall piece; (Left) I was drowing, the
ocean saved me; (Right) Severance, wall piece.

Clay as Inspiration

As a utilitarian ware, pottery has taken a back seat after the switch from clay to metal, then plastic. Its consequences continue to affect the rural communities associated with this handicraft in Purulia West Bengal, Pottery Town Bengaluru, and many more. These traditional potters are losing faith in this craft and seeking other sources of income. On the other hand, there is a demand for pottery and ceramics in the urban landscape. Its vast scope, moving beyond utilitarian, is evident all over the internet. It includes tableware, décor, jewellery, sculptures, and functional pieces, to name just a few.

Source: Vivikoh Studios @vivikoh.studio. Paper Ceramic Forms in bisque.

 

For Anumita Jain (Founder of A Clay Story), not one day goes by when this material does not surprise her. Handling this medium has helped her push boundaries creatively. Satabdi Jena (Founder of The Strange Co.) agrees with this sentiment. What piqued her interest was the unpredictability of earthy materials like clay. Its differing outcomes with every firing fascinated her even more. Comparably, Tanushree Singh (Founder of Lacuna Studio) eloquently conveys that “Clay has a memory…” like the human body. She adds, “It bears witness to the twists and turns of the hands of its maker, their intent….” Her ceramics pieces take inspiration from her surroundings and her life in Goa, a large part of which includes surfing. Megha Rawat (Founder of The Mudslingers) finds clay deeply engaging, never getting bored of it, and describes it as having “insane possibilities”. She realised imperfections were invaluable to pottery and symbolic of an artist’s handmade creations. This revelation further solidified her love for the medium and evolved her style into what it is today.

 

Source: Anumita Jain, New Delhi. Vases by A Clay Story

 

Design: Reflective and Innovative

Pottery studios today are creating new-age pottery, which is incredibly versatile. For instance, Vivitsa Kohli (founder of Vivikoh Studios) can manipulate clay to mimic fabric, paper or even wood. A Clay Story creates tableware and functional pottery that feel intuitive, with a rustic and earthy look. She also makes decorative pieces like vases, decorative objects, and art objects related to lights. The Strange Co. reflects on the lighter side of life through its quirky and whimsical designs featuring cats and dogs. Lacuna Studio creates unique one-off designs like sculptural pieces, ceramic masks, incense smokers, jewellery, and lamps, quaintly reflecting her intimate connection with clay. The Mudslingers makes lightweight functional ware with simple shapes, minimalistic designs and the trademark pop of colour. Every brand presents something innovative and thought-provoking, creating unconventional ceramic ware using conventional materials.

 

Source: Satabdi Jena, New Delhi. Mugs from The Strange Co.

 

Pottery and social media

If you have ever dabbled in pottery, be it handmade or wheel-made, you know how cathartic it can be. Naturally, videos of vessel making, especially with ASMR, became an instant hit on social media. Seeing a potter mould a lump of clay combined with the peaceful sounds gained enormous traction, making for ideal content for potters on social media. Online platforms have efficiently helped many ceramic artists directly connect with consumers through content creation. Anumita reflects on her initial years on Instagram, where she found a lack of Indian potters. Hence, she showcased her pottery journey and creative process, highlighting the creation of her pieces, from throwing to firing to packaging.

 

Source: Tanushree Singh, Goa. Tanushree Singh, Founder of Lacuna Studio wearing a
ceramic mask; (background) Cornucopia – an installation made up of over 40 ceramic
pieces.

 

Satabdi feels that the question of creative freedom and marketability is a Catch-22 situation. In this regard, she would rather be off-balance than chase something unreasonable, a sentiment Tanushree echoes. Her content reflects all the ups and downs of her life, highlighting the joys and sometimes sorrows of running a small-scale studio with her full-time manager, Hugo, her dog. It is a gradual process of knowing your consumers, their demands, the marketability of one’s art and the sustainability of one’s brand. Megha has observed that consumers are more willing to pay a higher price for decorative ware than functional ware, even though they take the same amount of time and expertise to produce. She also feels that most consumers like a mix of traditional and contemporary pieces. Considering that, she is steadfast in not compromising her style, which is non-traditional, and is satisfied with the niche she has made for herself.

These brands are genuinely grateful to social media for the online community that they have built. However, social media does have its infamous algorithm to consider, amongst other drawbacks. As small businesses, it takes an exhaustive effort to create, promote and sustain one’s brand. Only in the last year has Anumita felt confident to switch gears to allow for personal creative satisfaction. Now, she wants to push boundaries by having a solidified consumer base.

Pottery for Everyone

The pandemic saw a boost in DIY projects that included pottery, quickly becoming an expression of creativity, a form of socialising and therapy. This peak in interest helped ceramic artists reach out to their consumers through workshops and courses through different modes. Ultimately, these build trust with consumers as they see where and who makes their products. Slow Pottery is a pottery school and studio by Nikita Dawar which combines a farm stay experience with residential pottery courses at a lovely orchard in Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, Anumita with various homestays and property owners, curates experiential vacations with pottery lessons. It allows her to step away from her studio space, interact with her consumer base and introduce them to her creative and entrepreneurial community.

 

Source: Megha Rawat, Noida. Megha Rawat, Founder of The Mudslingers, at her studio.

 

The Strange Co. was unable to interact with its consumers directly, being an e-commerce brand. However, having a studio space helped them hold workshops. To their surprise, people of all age groups showed interest. Satabdi was surprised at the flowing creativity of the participants. She associates this with the freedom of mind instilled from the studio-cum-work environment, marvelling at how the brand ethos inspired them. It was serendipitous when Dhyaana Farms showed interest in collaborating with The Mudslingers for pottery workshops at their retreat. Megha also equally enjoys showcasing her work at exhibitions. This year, Tanushree will be holding workshops and connecting with pottery enthusiasts.

The brand Kitsters India specialises in at-home DIY kits, including those with clay as the primary medium. It is a marvellous way of promoting crafts and skills in the comfort of your home. Another woman-owned small business, Unbaked – Handmade Jewellery, also conducts workshops (both online and offline), teaching customers the art of jewellery-making using polymer clay.

 

Sustainability of Ceramics

An interesting fact about clay is that even though it is organic and of the earth, it is not recyclable after firing. Anumita points out this grey area when asked about sustainable practices. She excitedly mentions the brand Earth Tatva and their initiative of making recycled fired clay that she plans to switch to soon. There is no denying that most of these small businesses have a smaller scale of production, reducing their carbon footprint, compared to brands pushing out mass-produced goods. The only plastic Megha uses is the tape for packaging, which she plans to replace with a non-plastic version soon. She also recycles the leftover glazes by mixing them and using them on pieces sold as seconds or for personal use. It is pertinent to know that being fully sustainable is almost impossible. Satabdi associates this with where the manufacturers and suppliers are based. Most of the time, those places do not prioritise sustainability as it adds to costs, amongst other things. Universally, most small brands impart sustainable habits in their studios and daily lives. They ensure to recycle clay, fire their kiln at maximum capacity and refrain from using plastic as much as possible.

 

Source: Anumita Jain, New Delhi. Anumita Jain, Founder of A Clay Story at her studio.

 

However, clay remains a beautiful tactile medium for artistic expression, succinctly conveying the maker’s emotions and creative flair. Its versatility helps artists explore different aspects of their imagination, aiding many studio potters to create a niche for themselves. They are not just redefining pottery but are changing what it means to be an entrepreneur and business owner, focusing on developing sustainable methods for a cleaner future.

 

References

Crown, P.L. (2007). Life Histories of Pots and Potters: Situating the Individual in Archaeology. American Antiquity, 72 (4), pp. 677-690 https://doi.org/10.2307/25470440

Kanrar, A., Choudhury, S. and Mondal, D.K. (2002). Is Pottery work losing its grace? An Empirical Study in Purulia, West Bengal. Quest Journals Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science. 10(5), pp. 25-32 ISSN(Online):2321-9467 www.questjournals.org

Králík, M., Novotný, V. And Olivia, M. (2002). Fingerprint on the Venus of Dolní Věstonice I. Anthropologie XL/2, pp. 107-113.

Tsoumis, K. Women and Ceramics Selections from the Gardiner Museum’s Collection. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/women-and-ceramics-the-george-r-gardiner-museum-of-ceramic-art/oAUx8su-bkFsKQ?hl=en

Whitaker, J. (2023). What Pots Say – and Don’t Say – About People. Sapiens https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/pots-are-people/

Instagram Links:

https://www.instagram.com/lacunastudiogoa?igsh=MTFobzZxeHg1M3JtMw==

https://www.instagram.com/a.clay.story?igsh=YzZ5Y2N3dG8yY2h4

https://www.instagram.com/the.mudslingers?igsh=MWJyYWpydzE1ZmFqMg==

https://www.instagram.com/thestrange_co?igsh=MTRmZWE1eDVmcWp5cw==