Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Louis Reilly | Episode 579
Louis Reilly has been making functional pottery since 2008. Louis maintains a steady studio practice and exhibits his work internationally. Louis obtained his BFA in 2009 from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his MFA in 2013 from Utah State University. Louis serves as Studio Coordinator at KC Clay Guild and teaches ceramics at Benedictine College.
SPONSORS
You can help support the show!
GRPotteryForms.com
Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com
For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com
How important as a leader is it to know what your goals are or setting appropriate goals?
The leadership thing is kind of interesting, especially form the perspective of it being essentially having a big part and running a small business, which is sort of what I do. That is not something I planned on doing, you now, getting an MFA, but I think one thing art training does for you is it trains you to think creatively. I mean, that is something that I found to be pretty beneficial even as a person essentially running a business. There has been a few motivating factors as far as making that position work. I wasn’t really in a position, with student loan debt and stuff like that, to float around and do artist in residencies for six years, or whatever and making money solely from making pots, it just didn’t seem possible to me. I have a lot of friends that do it but it didn’t seem like it was going to work for me and my wife. In grad school, the goal was to teach. And I do teach three ceramic classes at a Benedictine College every semester. This is my fourth year there now.
How do you go about measuring success with what you are doing?
Well, I mean, the easiest way to describe it is after my first year we did 50 thousand dollars more in classes than the prior year. So that is one way to look at it. As a non-profit all that money was turned back around and put into the business to make the place better for everyone. That is one way to look at it. The thing I am most proud of there is expanding and formalizing the artist in residency program. and we have focused on that being available primarily for recent undergraduates. There are a lot less opportunities for recent BFAs than there are for MFAs and so that is kind of what we focused on. The fact that the residency doesn’t cost anything and they get a 2500 dollar stipend for the year, which isn’t a lot but it’s something. They get a private studio space, they get to fire all the kilns they want to for free, we provide them with glaze materials, they do have to buy clay. But basically being able to provide that opportunity for folks out there that are looking to get serious about forming a career in this field, that advocacy piece is something I am really proud of. It is not something that is ever going to go away, it is part of the guild now. Even if I am not there, that legacy is something I can be really proud of.
I think Abraham Lincoln said, The best way to predict the future is to create it. So how important is it for you as a leader to be devoting time looking into the future and seeing a new destination?
That is something that is becoming more of a priority for me now that we have three artists in residence. They are kicking butt and freeing me up from day to day tasks to be able to start thinking more about where Casey Clay Guild needs to go in the future. I am constantly looking for ways to spend the money that we are bringing in for all our classes and through grants and things like that. So all of that is about creating this environment that is very pleasant to work in and doesn’t create any barriers for people to express themselves. I think vision, looking ahead, is something is something that I am good at and sometimes probably to a fault. I am sort of always looking ahead.
How did you go about setting the values for the organization?
I didn’t set those per se. Like I said, the organization has been around since 1988. It was a guild at one point. Meaning that it was a sort of co-op of sorts, for potters in the Kansas City area to share equipment and materials and ideas. And now it is a Ceramic Art Center. That’s kind of the way I look at it. It has changed over time from serving professional potters to more of serving our community and serving our neighborhood. So we are starting to think more about providing opportunities for folks who just can’t afford to take a ceramic class or providing classes at schools where they don’t have ceramics.
How important are timelines for being a leader? Setting timelines and sticking to them?
(Laughter) That is probably a weak point. I mean non-profits kind of move at their own…they just move as fast as they can move, you know. I am a person who likes to get things done pretty quickly, definitely patience is something I could be better with. Certain things we move really fast on, like if we need a Skutt electric kiln because we have a lot more pots than we used to, then we will buy it and it will be there in a month. So that kind of stuff can move really fast. Policy changes and things like that tend to move more slowly.
What is your favorite studio tool to use?
I’m a thrower. I mean the potter’s wheel. I just love throwing pots. My work is a lot about that action. On the wheel, I don’t use a lot of tools. A little sponge and metal rib, that’s about it.
Book
The Last Sane Man by Tanya Harrod
Contact
Instagram: @louisreillypottery