Jennifer Galm | Blogger

Simon Levin, a master potter, author, and the owner of Mill Creek Pottery in Gresham, WI was on the Buena Vista University (BVU) campus to share his expertise in ceramics, being a full-time studio artist, the art of self-promotion, apprenticeships, and his personal philosophy of making utilitarian art.

Levin spent last Thursday and Friday, Feb. 27 and 28, at a kick wheel throwing pots and discussing the intimate relationship he has with his work, which ranges from throwing to final firing of the piece in one of his hand-built, brick wood-fired kilns.

Levin said he was most drawn to clay as a medium because “It’s the most available, versatile material I know. The fact that it is not a precious material allows us to play. It allows me to make some bad pots.”

According to Levin, there is a conversation that commences between the artist and the work.

“The clay records your touch. If you are fearful or tentative, [the clay] records it,” Levin said.

There is even a dialogue recorded by the flames that traverse over and around the pots as they are fired in the kiln for six days and nights. This kinetic conversation becomes the work that people can then hold in their hands.

Levin said that you have to learn how to promote yourself if you are going to be a full-time studio artist.

“I sell luxury goods. I can’t market it as ‘You need this,’” Levin said.

Levin explained that you have to get people interested in how it was made. He has people come out to watch a kiln firing. When you understand what went into making your favorite mug, it’s a bit more heartbreaking when you drop it because it is something you have a connection with. People who are more involved in the process want to share what they know with others.

“Something you’re invested in becomes a richer experience,” Levin said.

There is a special connection made between a potter and the user.

“There is something about the functional aspect of it, the vessel, that resonates with me. The fact that a cup, instead of being in a museum where you can go visit, it can be in your hand or your home, your cupboard, your dishwasher, and up to your lip, those are really intimate places to have access to. So, being a potter, an artist has access to the home, the everyday. That excited me. That interested me. Once you make a leap, that art can only be what you find in a museum, you’ve removed yourself from the experience,” Levin said.

Sophomore corporate communications major and art minor Jenny Van Oort enjoyed attending one of the workshops and related it to why she chose to include art in her studies.

“For a long time when I came to college, I was undeclared. For the first year and a half, I struggled with choosing something that I’m okay with and being well off in life, or choosing something I love and getting by minimalistically, knowing that I might not always have a super big paycheck, but it’s something that I love. So, I struggled with finding that balance. I think that with my major and my minors that I have chosen, I have found a way to do art now and [make] a career out of it,” Van Oort said.

If you want to view images of Levin’s work, or learn more about wood fire kilns, visit his website.

Photos by Jennifer Galm