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Noah Smith | Episode 227
Noah W. Smith is an artist, educator, and community leader based in Portland Oregon. Noah creates work focused on material expression and experimentation in electric kilns, making naturally inspired functional works. He is also the owner of Heirloom Ceramic Studios and the current President of the Oregon Potters Association.
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You mentioned in the podcast about physical involvement of OPA members as being important. Why is that a big deal for an organization like this?
I think all of us as makers understand the physical nature of what we do, right? We are making physical objects and physical things. So a majority of what we do as an organization is really involving being present and being physical and moving things around, moving pots and selling work and showcasing our ideas and what we’re trying to convey with the work that we’re making. But I also think, there is really something special to being in person and to being together in person physically, whether it’s sharing conversations or sharing a space together, making together, learning from workshops or bringing in artists from, outside of the country as well. And so that’s something that we really look for as well.
OPA has a point system for its members that they earn. How does the point system work and what does what does building points do for a member?
Our current point system is really set up to give back to people that have invested a lot of their time into the organization. We’ve also looked to make it so that if you have a position with a certain amount of points, even within one year, you’re guaranteed a position in showcase. So we can both give back to new artists and really appreciate artists who have given themselves to the organization as well.
From an outsiders perspective it looks like the point system gives favorable access towards the best booths, which I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. I think it’s pretty good. But that really becomes a very big deal when it comes time for picking booths. So tell me about that.
I am not a believer in a “best booth”. I do believe that every booth in Showcase is a good booth. So as long as you can get into the show, I believe that if you show up with good work and are here to be excited and engage with the audience, you’re going to have a good show.
You said we’ve got two, over 200 potters here. Is there room to bring in more potters to showcase? Right now we are busting at the seams in this venue and then we’ve got the guilds next door. Is there really room for adding another 150 potters?
I do have to say yes, I think so. We currently rent out the whole hall and then kind of work with the guilds to bring them in, but there’s nothing stopping us from expanding even more and bringing in even more artists into the space as well. The more the merrier!
I did hear that the guilds were warned that there was going to be a change that might happen, and there was quite a bit of an uproar. Does that uproar impact the decision making of OPA?
I think that the big thing is that I feel like when we work with the guilds, there’s a lot of cohesion there. You know, we’re bringing in people that care about not just fine pottery or, you know, ceramics as a craft, but also just fine craft in general. So I think, hearing them really want to be here and knowing that they want to be part of the space was really impactful on us, making sure that we were able to bring them in with us as well. We had a couple options earlier this year to have a smaller space, but we really decided we wanted this larger space to make sure we can have the guilds with us as well.
Are there conversations about doing OPA sponsored pop-ups like say in Eugene or at the coast or inland in Pendleton?
One of the big things when it comes to OPA is if somebody is willing to take on an idea or a show, that’s really how those things happen. So as we start broadening and really getting into these other regions around the state, the more the people we have involved, the more likely those shows are to happen as well.
Here’s my last question for you. Why president? What gave you the gumption to say, I can do that?
Well, you know, why not, right? I like to give my all to what I’m doing. And I really want to see this culture and this community thrive. And I think that I can bring the energy and ideas to it to give people in my community and my friends the platform to make that happen. And I felt like president was just another thing to do that and to give me the voice and the platform to really create the culture that I want to see and that I know everybody else around me wants to see as well.
Book
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
Contact
heirloomceramicstudio.com
Instagram: @nws_ceramics & @heirloomceramicstudio