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Jon Stein | Episode 754
Jon Stein is a potter and educator from Cincinnati, Ohio. Jon found the potters wheel at fifteen and never looked back. A desire to further his understanding of atmospheric firing led Jon to Utah State University where he completed his MFA. Jon is currently the Education Director at Queen City Clay.
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Why is it so important to pay it forward to other people?
I think every single one of us gets a lot out of working with clay…people who become potters and anyone who is curious enough to spend any time in this building is going to leave here in better shape than when they came here. Whether that is just coming in to paint a piece to get fired or someone doing a more serious in depth study, it’s break from what is going on with them. You know how students say working with clay saved their life in a very literal kind of way. It gave them a way to be present when some dark things were going on. So you never know what someone is going to walk away with. You cast a wide net and you create those opportunities and meet people where they are. It’s up to them to take it as far as they want to go. I feel really lucky so it is the least I can do to create these opportunities for everyone else.
Does it devalue the pay it forward when you have cash involved? For instance, you are a for profit business an yet you are paying forward. Does that devalue the gift of what you are doing?
I don’t think so. We are definitely community minded and community first and folks who are involved with us feel that. TO the point that when we did have a shut down, folks that could afford it volunteered to continue to pay for their studio rental fees because they wanted to make sure the place would be here when they come back. Cultivating that feeling of community has to be put over profit and it certainly is for us.
Does it multiply what you can do by being part of a team?
Absolutely. and we are in the process of hiring a new full-time member and one of the things we look for is someone who would absolutely put down what they are focused on if anyone on the team was in the weeds and collectively we are able to pull off some pretty remarkable things.
Do you ever become intentional in telling others to pay it forward? Like do you tell your students, Hey, you have been blessed with this, I would love for you to turn around and do it to others?
Moving forward I think we will be able to do more of that. One of the projects kicking around in my head right now is setting up an after school program for kids and teenagers to come in and work and one of the obstacles is staffing it. And so I am going to be reaching out to some studio members who are community minded, so basically they would mentor those kids and be responsible like a life-guard almost, in a kid swim session. I would like to have more kids in the building to have that experience.
What is your favorite story of someone’s life who has been deeply impacted?
Ooo, that’s tough. Yoon who is at University right now, he basically didn’t have a place to stay in the United States in summer between his semesters. So he moved in with Ben Clark our president and came to the studio and made pots every day and put together a portfolio and is now in one of the leading MFA programs in the country.
What is an example of one the decisions you guys made that is for benefit and not necessarily for profit?
Sure, there are a couple of non-profits that weren’t able to receive grants and their kids wanted to continue taking clay classes and so we basically found our break even number and continued to provide classes to them making absolutely no money. We were acting as a non-profit in that situation and we are just hopeful that they get another grant and eventually we will be able to be profitable working with them. But we are okay not making money as long as we are not loosing money if it means we are able to provide opportunities to those that otherwise would not have them.
Book
A Potter’s Workbook by Clary Illian
Contact
Instagram: @jsteinpottery