40 year journey

Dan told FPF that it was hard to put 40 years into 750 words...He is correct. So below is excerpts from Dan’s Journal:

Forty years ago this month I arrived in Fredericksburg with all of my worldly possessions packed into my '66 Chevy van. The Fredericksburg Pottery was founded by two local families in 1976, the Bicentennial year, and was located at the corner of Sophia Street and Hanover Street. Phil Chapman got his start there. . Fredericksburg in 1980 was a very different town...early that year the Spotsylvania Mall was opened and most of the shops left downtown. It might be hard for more recent residents to believe, but a number of major department stores including Sears and Penney's used to be located in our fair city. I was hired to expand the pottery's business beyond Fredericksburg. There was no longer enough foot traffic to support us so I designed a simple line of pottery and trained the two potters that I had inherited to make them. We then began selling work up and down the East

Coast to galleries and craft shops and restaurants. The most significant restaurant was in our back yard...just a few months after I arrived Sammy T's was opened. Founded by a college professor and two former UMW students it was a welcome addition to town, bringing in a menu that went way beyond barbecue (vegetarian and vegan food!). We made

Dan Finnegan shares his 40 year journey

them an offer that they couldn't refuse...I would trade pottery for food so that I could get my work on the tables in front of their customers. This was a happy relationship and most of my friends today were met in that cozy restaurant. I made little creamers and bud vases and I still occasionally meet a former customer (or employee) who confesses to taking one or two home! I didn't mind, as it meant I could make more and eat more! In 1984 I purchased the business and moved to a farm on the

Rappahanock River in Dogue. I was now on my own and I carried on the wholesale business while spending a lot of time developing new work and ideas. I sold pots in a couple of shops downtown as well. Then, in 1991, I discovered the building at 106 Hanover Stree (below) was vacant and with the financial support of some dear friends I moved back to town and resumed my business directly across the street from the old pottery. This was a very fruitful time for my career. Downtown's revival was ongoing and it had certainly become a more interesting place. The VRE coming to town sparked a great interest with developers. All of a sudden living and working downtown seemed viable. It wasn't long

before I was selling all of my work through the shop, an unusual business model for a potter. Most craftspeople have been packing up their vans and travelling to shows all over tarnation...I always aspired to living a more civilized life and the shop allowed me to sleep in my own bed every night and spend my energy creating rather than hustling to shows. By now I saw the need for help in the shop and that it was time to begin training the next generation of potters. I was incredibly fortunate to work in England at the historic Winchcombe Pottery before I came here and that very unique experience gave me the knowledge and experience to be successful. Being part of a long tradition creates a responsibility to pass on that knowledge to those who will follow us. The shop at 106 had a bit of magic to it, created by all the friendships and relationship that flourished there. Some bought a pot, some bought a 100 pots, but I like to think that it was a place for good conversation and goodwill as much as a place of business. Being the 'town potter' was a privilege and my work sometimes had greater meaning than a mere piece of pottery, I made pots to celebrate weddings and for church services and urns for ashes for the remains of loved ones. During this time I was invited to teach a course for the Art League at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Va. I didn't know it when I agreed, but this was a baby step towards a career on a national rather than local level. As one thing led to another I was invited to teach at The Penland School of Craft In NC, a

very prestigious 'summer camp for adults"!. There is an irony in my teaching career...I left college because I was certain that I didn't want to be a teacher but rather a maker. I now teach 3 or 4 workshops a year at craft schools and universities. The other project to note here is LibertyTown. ..When I began to take on assistants I wanted to make sure that I could pay them a fair wage to survive here. The pottery alone would have had difficulty accomplishing that. So I started a little pottery school across the street where my assistants and friends could teach and I could pay them much better for that work. I had no idea that we would find such strong interest in pottery classes, but that inspired me to look for a bigger space. This is what led me to start LibertyTown in 2001. I won't tell that story here, but 23 local people lent me money and with the help of a couple of friends we converted the former Plumbing Supply building into a spectacular Art Center that continues to thrive today. For those keeping count, I then built my fifth (and LAST!) studio on a farm in Caroline County. Ever since my training in England I had wanted to build a kiln that burned wood for fuel (Left). This is an ancient technology that continues to be relevant and engaging today. I had built that kiln at the farm a few years before and when the shop was closed I was welcomed to move my studio there. This is where I work now and where I am writing from today. Up until the pandemic I had been building a new business, selling my pots at national invitational shows and teaching a few workshops as well as keeping a supply of work for sale at Libertytown. Just as I closed the door for the last time on Hanover Street I was invited to the biggest, most prestigious pottery show held in Minnesota each year and this really helped introduce me and my work to a national audience. It has been a real privilege to spend time with potters whose work I had admired from afar and make new friends. I even helped start a national show in Washington DC called ' Pottery on the Hill'. This will be our 9th year at the Hill Center (hillcenterdc.org) and this show has become a popular model for others...a small, finely curated show of potters making useful pots in an elegant and intimate setting. The Fredericksburg community has always been supportive of me and my work, and as we look at downtown today, there are artists and galleries everywhere who are also finding that same support. I am very grateful for that support over these many years. Thank you!

Be sure to read the complete Dan Finnegan Journal danfinneganpottery.com danfinneganpotterry.com/shop www.danfinneganpottery.com

Anne Hicks

Guest Porch Editorial

ON THE PORCH

Contributing Writers & Artists

Rita Allan Kathy Anderson Sally Cooney Anderson Dianne Bachman Laurie Black Sarah Kay Bierle Sean Bonney Sonja Cantu Bill Carroll Collette Caprara Sandra Erikson Christina Ferber Dan Finnegan Frank Fratoe Bill Freehling Jon Gerlach Ann Glave Malanna Henderson Sue Henderson Anne Hicks Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks Karl Karch David C. Kennedy Julie Laiacona Lisa Chinn Marvashti Sean MeLauren Beverly Mendez Vanessa Moncure Pete Morelewicz Patrick Neustatter M.L.Powers Gerri Reid Paula Raudenbush Joanne Rose Casey Alan Shaw Mandy Smith Marianne Tokarz Tina Will Norma Woodward Margie Zambon-Brewer

Front Porch Fredericksburg is a free circulation magazine published monthly by Olde Towne Publishing Co. Virginia Bigenwald Grogan , Publisher.

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Harvesting Solace

by Anne Hicks

As I write this article in September it's looking more like spring. Good thing color has returned with healthy rich hues of green as it appeared to be looking like fall in early July and August. It's reminiscent of how quickly events unfolded throughout the first three quarters of 2020.

What a relief it is was to watch nature's gentle rain showers heal the ground we call home. This renewal offers solace and a sense that we may trust, all will be well even amidst new horizons.

Consider the significance of naming this time when many of us may have been pushed to the edge, or even out of our seats in what seemed to be overnight, even though it was a tad longer but in our midst.

Perhaps there will be special days named to commemorate this year at the end or beginning of better times to come. October is a good month to look at the names of the day, as I found googling away on a rainy day.

Considering our lifestyles were altered in public and personally transformative ways makes it's important to mark how our community took ahold of the force of change that tested our resilience to face the unexpected. Looking back, we can see how much was done. Not that it's never happened before yet, not quite in the same exacting way. The call for swift action and attention to take immediate care for safety, and the continued ongoing efforts, are bountiful.

Notably, there are stories from the heart of people and organizations in our community. It's wonderful to read them or be part of all that's been and is being done. From the Grab and Go Lunch Program and the local school systems efforts to keep the children safe, to the private businesses who have invested in safety, to the public officials vigilance, and administration of grants and nonprofit community foundations like the Community Ministry Center of Fredericksburg, Rappahannock Area YMCA Childcare for Essential Workers, SPCA Pet Quarantine for COVID-affected Families, Salvation Army Food and Emergency Financial Assistances. To all local Church Support and to Yoga Studios and individual Yoga teachers who came zooming into our homes. This is only names a few. It's this season's harvest and the autumns blessing to have grace to keep making ends meet. We've been doing a lot of this from home. Doesn't it feel good to be home in this town?

We all will have stories to share about this time and we will find a way gather and to define what's happened.

October, a month that's reaped many named days and has a designated National Story Telling Day. That is what will be remembered, names and stories.

So, ending the rainy days google, and commenting on my favorites from holidayinsights.com and MentalFloss.com about October, hope you find comfort in your story and a defining moment either through this list or your own list. I did.

October 1st International Day for the Elderly - Taking time to help and visit. 2nd World Smile Day - A spontaneous free feeling that brings joy anytime. 4th Octoberfest - Not just about Beer! Cultures. 5th World Teachers Day - Do Something Nice Day. 9th Curious Events Day - A new norm? 11th It's My Party day - Not in this house, that's the 18th Tuffy's Day - Birthday. 12th International Moment of Frustration and Scream Day - We've earned this one! 15th Face your Fear Day - Growing. 19th Sweetest Day - Our house for leftovers from Tuffy day. 20th Evaluate your life Day - Reflections. 21st Smart is Cool Day - So are not so Smart Days. 24th Make a Difference Day - In any giving way. 27th National Tell a Story Day - Everyday!

29th Cat Day. Gentle souls. 31st Halloween and Carve a Pumpkin Day. Candy day.

It's true we will continue facing the unexpected and uncanny in difficult ways. We have lost and gained a lot. Let's spread the hope that the green is like nature sharing the luck of a what's in a name and allowing us the full spectrum of brighter colors and falling leaves and that hope for renewal, healing and growth are on the horizon. Not to mention naming this year or day in this year, what would you call it?

Anne Hicks is a writer; she works at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She is celebrating Tuffy Day on October 18th for her husband Ralph "Tuffy" Hicks.