Join the Museum for our fourth installment in the Crafting History series to learn about the history of ceramic crafts and make a pinch pot!
Due to their unique facility capabilities, this program will be at Illinois Art Station. As a result, this installation of Crafting History will be available in person only. As this is a relatively new programming series, we are constantly reevaluating and trying new ways to provide accessible, high-quality experiences for all. We will seek input from participants after the event to determine the best way to offer future iterations of this program. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Maria Mears.
Pre-registration for this event is required. Register at https://bit.ly/PinchPots.
There is a supply fee of $5 for Museum members and $7 for non-members. Your completed pinch pots will be available for pick-up from Illinois Art Station one week after the event.
Crafting History is a series of accessible, interactive programming that allows adult learners a hands-on history experience, led by the Museum's Director of Adult Education, Dr. Maria Mears, and a local expert, taking crafts from the past and recreating them for use today. All the crafts we focus on have some historical context and an element of sustainability. In the past, people found alternative uses for things no longer needed or got creative with different methods of making various products. However, that has fallen to the wayside in the age of mass production. We hope to combat hyperconsumerism with a historical understanding of crafts that take great skill and artistry but were often relegated to "women's home-keeping tasks".
We offer new Crafting History programming every other month, on the third Tuesday.
Photo Caption: Miss Elizabeth Shea, art instructor at Raymond School, puts the finishing touches on a ceramic creation at the recreation studio, formerly located at 214 N. Madison St. in Bloomington. This photo from March 1940 has been preserved and digitized by the McLean County Museum of History as a part of our Pantagraph Negatives Collection. Click here to learn more about how we're saving y(our) history.