Annual pottery sale near Colorado Springs to feature hundreds of pieces at half price
Mystical things happen when Deborah Hager sits down in the morning to throw a lump of clay on her pottery wheel.
Not only does she transform a shapeless mass into something beautiful and functional, she also moves into a flow state where her previous night’s dreams begin to unravel.
“The allure of pottery is sometimes I feel channeled by something,” said the Divide artist, “and people are putting their lips on it and their hands. It’s an object they use every day and incorporate into their lives. I like making art that people use. Sometimes people buy something and don’t use it, and I say no, you should use it.”
The annual Pottery by the Price sale at Commonwheel Artists Co-op in Manitou Springs will feature hundreds of bowls, cups, lidded jars and more for $5 to $60. It opens Friday. Courtesy Commonwheel Artists Co-op
Hager is one of about 30 Colorado artists, mostly Colorado Springs potters, though some jewelers, painters and printmakers as well, who will contribute their work to the annual Pottery by the Price sale at Commonwheel Artists Co-op in Manitou Springs. Hundreds of bowls, cups, lidded jars and more will be priced from around $5 to $60. It opens Friday and runs through Jan. 28.
The January sale, which started more than two decades ago, was called Pottery by the Pound before the pandemic. Customers paid by weight. But in the last few years, the artists’ collective has changed the format to price tags to quicken the purchasing process and so people don’t touch as many items. The intention of the sale, however, is always the same — to help artists clear out their extra inventory and prepare their studios for the new year.
And don’t worry about the prospects of finding a good piece if you don’t make it to opening day. Due to the show’s popularity, the artists restock their wares throughout the show.
“I don’t know why, but pottery is huge,” said Hager, who’s also on the Pottery by the Price committee. “It’s probably one of the largest mediums in the area.”
Hager, who started making pottery about four decades ago, will contribute about 40 pieces to the show, many of which feature calla lilies, dragonflies, luna moths, fish and birds.
After moving to the area in 1995, she got a job making pottery at Van Briggle Pottery Co., founded in 1901 by Artus and Anne Van Briggle. Artus’ style of pottery was influential in the Art Nouveau movement and considered foundational to American pottery.
While working there, Hager was encouraged to create original works, which were then given the Van Briggle signature on the bottom, the potter’s initials, and the word “original” to signify it was wheel-thrown and not cast. She still meets people who say they bought one of her pieces on Ebay.
When the company started to downsize and let her go in 2008, she moved full time into her pottery business, which she still does out of her garage in Divide. Van Briggle closed in 2014.
“The dedication a potter has to finding their own voice in clay and then how to get that idea from their head, throw it and execute it on the pot,” Hager said, “and hope their clientele like it and purchase it — it’s quite a long time. That’s why a lot of potters don’t find their rhythm until after they’ve been throwing quite a while.”
Contact the writer: 636-0270
What: Pottery by the Price
When: Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily through Jan. 28
Where: Commonwheel Artists Co-op, 102 Cañon Ave., Manitou Springs
Price: Free; 719-635-1008, commonwheel.com
Artists will restock pieces of pottery throughout the month for the Pottery by the Price sale at Commonwheel Artists Co-op in Manitou Springs.
Hundreds of pieces will be for sale during Pottery by the Price at Commonwheel Artists Co-op in Manitou Springs. It opens Friday. Courtesy Commonwheel Artists Co-op
About 30 artists will contribute pottery to the annual Pottery by the Price sale at Commonwheel Artists Co-op in Manitou Springs.