ITHACA, NY (CortacaToday) — Since opening in 2015, the Clay School Ithaca has become a staple of the art scene here in the community.

Julia e. Dean, owner of the school, has a long history with creating and comes from a family of craftsmen. Her family has been making stone monuments since 1881, so producing pieces that last is in her DNA. Using clay is how she carries on that legacy.

“I took my first ceramics class in college. I was an education major and it was my last semester, so I didn’t completely change course to pursue it. After I graduated, I taught public school for two years, but quit to pursue creating with clay,” she says of the turning point in her career.

Having run studios in Texas and North Carolina, she came up to Ithaca on vacation after reading a book about it, and ultimately decided to make the move up here with her family. She started out teaching at a community studio on Cornell’s campus which closed in 2012. From there, she was teaching out of her basement as there was nowhere else to work and teach classes at the time.

“At first we were offering up spots just to be able to fill classes and only had about 10-12 members. Now, we have our own space, about 100 members, and are able to offer a lot more in terms of classes and workshops than we used to.”

Growth and expansion mean more opportunity to give back. Hosting a member sale for members of the school to be able to sell their work in a semi-professional setting on Saturday 10/19 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at their location at 950 Danby Road, this year’s will be a little different.

“Usually, we take twenty percent of the sales to recoup the cost of hosting the sale. This year, we’re going to be donating the money we would usually take and give it to different potters and organizations that need it. Right now, we have our eye on a few different campaigns that are looking for donations, one of them being a studio just like us in the River Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina.”

The Clay School has also implemented a scholarship program this year as another way to give back to the community it’s a part of, with hopes of expanding it and being able to offer more in the future. Those who are interested in supporting the school’s plight in helping other studios should be sure to attend the member sale and purchase some of the pottery from those who are selling it. For more information, be sure to check out the Clay School Ithaca website here.