“Come make with us” at SILT Studio

BY ELIZABETH IRELAND

Regina’s SILT Studio is a centre for ceramics that offers both aspiring makers and professional artists room to create. Visual artist and maker Jay Kimball runs the business with his “partner in work and in life” intermedia artist Terri Fidelak. “I like to think of SILT Studio as a gym to exercise creativity,” says Kimball.

Whether you are a novice or someone who works on pottery professionally, SILT Studio offers a large and inviting space to hone your craft. In the early 2010s, the University of Regina closed its pottery program which “left a gap in the city.” SILT Studio emerged from Kimball’s own need for a workshop and a shared space to inspire his creativity. Unfortunately, after opening in spring 2019, the business was up and running for just a year when COVID-19 hit.

With the studio closed during the pandemic, the People’s Cup initiative emerged (#thepeoplescup). White porcelain cups, hand thrown by Kimball, are treated with a layer of black clay. Using a technique called sgraffito, makers can scratch lines and patterns through the slip surface to reveal the clay body beneath. After glazing and firing, the black slip stays black and the cup itself turns a delicate white.

Each People’s Cup costs $30, plus the cost of firing in a kiln. Kimball describes the initiative as “a flagship” that has “seen a lot of success” and that he and Fidelak hope to continue to build on in the retail sphere. Cups decorated by professional artists are also auctioned off with half the proceeds going to local charities.

An added bonus is that the People’s Cup has proven to be popular with elementary school students across Saskatchewan. “When the People’s Cup comes back after the kiln, there’s a reveal. Kids are so ecstatic that their cup looks so finished and professional. After the losses we have all experienced during COVID-19, it’s nice to have something special,” says Kimball.

SILT Studio’s membership model creates a real sense of community. In this way, aspiring makers have flexibility to use the ceramics workshop, which includes pottery wheels, a kiln room and a glaze lab. A full membership costs $200 a month and includes 24-hour access to the workshop and equipment. A lite membership costs $100 a month and includes 10 hours of access to the workshop and equipment. For both types of memberships, access is dependent on class schedules.

Jay Kimball and Terri Fidelak opened SILT Studio in 2019 to provide aspiring makers and professional artists with a centre for ceramics where they can create and learn. (Photo: SILT Studio)