Featherstone Pottery – Functional Pottery that Brings a Community Together
A unique community approach to pottery
Featherstone Pottery may be unique in its philosophy of pottery production. While the pottery itself is created by and glazed by the potters, the kiln firing is a communal effort that begins six months in advance.
Friends, family and neighbors are constantly on the prowl for scrap wood from construction projects, downed trees, or home remodeling projects that can be salvaged and brought to the farm. It is stored for the bi-annual kiln firing every six months.
But there is plenty more. First and foremost amongst the community of volunteers is Uncle Ferman Featherstone, owner of the farm where the pottery studio and kiln reside. It is Ferman’s historical site that provides the proper setting for this endeavor. But it’s Uncle Ferman’s famous home-baked bread that seduces many to labor long hours at the kiln-firing for a plateful. (It’s usually available for snacking at the bi-annual pottery sales.)
The amazing contributions of the volunteers…
Each kiln firing and public show would not be possible without the dedication and long hours from family, friends and 
volunteers. Just so you understand what goes into creating the pottery you’ll use every day at home, here’s a list of the people and efforts we appreciate as part of the process here at Featherstone Pottery:
- Hours of shopping for food and baking to feed hungry workers and guests
- Homemade candies, pies, chili, and creative foods too numerous to count
- Cleaning and decorating the studio and showroom, allowing the sunshine to gleam through the large windows
- Photographers, visual artists and writers who inform the public about the studio and its events
- Violin, guitar and accordion players along with vocalists who serenade those who gather at events
- Stained glass artists who provide materials to embellish the pots
- Lively conversation on topics ranging from the care and feeding of shitake mushroom logs to sharing recipes and solving the world’s problems.
- Expertise offered by fellow potters, in particular those who offer cast-off clay
- Dedicated fire-stokers, some of whom spend endless hours at the fire mouth
- The laborious job of loading the kiln and the fun job of unloading the kiln
- People who discover the studio by chance, those who come intentionally, and people who come to share stories of their past visits
- Family and friends whose attachment to the pottery entices them to devote hours working at the sales table, sending pots on their way to new homes
- And people who appreciate the pots and carry with them the memories of personal experiences at Featherstone Pottery.