Annual Fall Studio Pottery Sale and more

Bird vases by Lindsey Heiden, made of earthenware. Photo by Kenyon Hansen.

There’s a new ceramics studio in Dollar Bay operated by Kenyon Hansen and Lindsey Heiden.

Kenyon earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics at Finlandia University, and Linsdey received her bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University and master’s degree in ceramics at the University of Arkansas.  They met at an art residency program at Center Street Clay in Sandwich, Illinois. After internships in North Carolina and Montana, they were presented with opportunities to teach at Finlandia, and they were happy to make their home in the Copper Country. In 2013 Kenyon was selected as an Emerging Artist by the national pottery magazine Ceramics Monthly and has taught workshops in ceramic studios around the country. The couple currently teaches fine art classes at Michigan Tech and Finlandia, in addition to operating a home studio.

“It was always the goal to have a home studio,” Kenyon said. “Being able to just walk across the street to check on things, like pieces that are drying.”

One of the neatest things in the home studio is the kiln used to do soda firings. This is a special technique whereby sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is sprayed onto the pottery when it is red-hot, resulting in cool surface variations in color and texture. The kiln was designed by a professional kiln builder from Illinois with whom Kenyon had apprenticed, and built by a small community of artists.   

The soda kiln. Photo by Kenyon Hanson.

Most of their pottery sales have been online and invitational sales through Galleries nationwide. Their first Fall Studio Sale will be on Saturday, Oct. 1 and Sunday, Oct. 2, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 23391 Dogwood Ave. in Dollar Bay. Look for signs along the way just past Quincy’s and on Dogwood.

“This sale is going to be our first Home Sale. It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a few years. We’ll have 5 or 6 tables of pots set up outside of our studio. Most of the work at this sale will be purely functional. Kenyon will have teapots and pitchers as well as dinnerware. Lindsey will have vases and dinnerware. Their son, who just started kindergarten, will have ornaments for sale. They’re calling it their Fall Sale, because there’s a reasonable chance that they’ll have another sale in the Spring. Eventually, they would like to invite other artists to also show work at these sales.

Teapot with an infuser by Kenyon Hansen, soda-fired porcelain. Photo by Kenyon Hansen.

There will be snacks and drinks as well as a campfire with places to sit at picnic tables and chairs, so people can stay awhile and chat. They will be able to accept any kind of payment; cash, checks, credit, and debit cards. All of this will happen outside as long as the weather cooperates, but the studio will be open to visitors as well, where they will get to see unfinished pieces, and some of Lindsey’s sculptural pieces.

Experimenting with new designs; brand-new glazes and surfaces, Kenyon has come up with a whole new line of pottery.

“My recent work,” he told me, “has been influenced by the night sky imagery, looking at stars and thinking about the cosmos.” 

Lindsey’s sculptural work is centered on storytelling with animals, and the vases at the sale will have many of these elements as well. They are very intricate and carved, with messages that inspire people to use their imagination.

Currently, Lindsey has a show with Linda King Ferguson, the UP Focus at the DeVos Museum on the Northern Michigan University Campus, up until the start of November. Kenyon had one a few months ago at the Schaller Gallery in Baroda Michigan, south of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor. Kenyon and Lindsey also were invited to participate in the recent Pottery Tour just north of Minneapolis. Some of their work is available at the Copper Country Community Arts Center in Hancock, but we are able to purchase these items direct from the studio in Dollar Bay, and enjoy some time talking art with these ceramicists. You can learn more about Kenyon and his work at his website, kenyonmhansen.com.

In addition to the Fall Studio Sale, there are some other excellent shows to check out. Joyce Koskenmaki has a show, “Forest Spirits” at the Gallery on 5th opening on Oct. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m.. At this show you can see her large collection of handcrafted spirit protector sculptures interspersed with forest paintings and drawings. Joyce was one of Kenyon’s teachers at Finlandia when he was a student, and they’ve continued to be friends.

At “The Well Read Raccoon Books & Curiosities” in Houghton, Lynn Mazzoleni’s show will be up through Oct. 10. Lynn is a Chemistry professor at Michigan Tech who delights with vibrant paintings, some abstract in nature, and many which are feminine portraiture aimed at inspiring women and girls to embrace their power. 

Nate Bett, a nationally known photographer who has recently settled with his family in the Copper Country, has a large collection of photographs at K.C. Bonkers in Hancock. He is well known locally for teaching night photography classes presented by the Copper Country Community Art Center in Hancock. He also teaches workshops at the Keweenaw mountain lodge and photography at NMU.

Photo provided by Nate Bett

“Arabesque” is a wonderful show at the Rozsa Gallery on the Michigan Tech campus. It is an exhibition of charcoal sketches by Clement Yeh and sculptures by Tomas Co, on the theme of “movement”. The American Ballet Theatre Studio Company will be at the Rozsa for one show on Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m., and there is a reception for “Arabesque” on Friday, Oct. 28 from 5 to 7 p.m.. The show will run until Friday, Nov. 4.

And finally, we need to acknowledge the passing of Max Seel, Professor Emeritus in the Physics Department, former provost and vice president of academic affairs of Michigan Technological University, who died on Sept. 14. He was also a mixed media artist who even incorporated computer components into fantastic large-scale works.

Christa Walck, a close friend who once shared an exhibit with Seel, told me, “Max was my boss for six years, and he was always considerate, kind, honest, and fair. He was an artist and musician as well as a scientist. A Renaissance man. I was privileged to work with him, and his untimely death is a great loss to the community and his family. Max once told me that the Keweenaw was the best place he ever lived, and that he would never leave.”