Wild Clay Kickoff a Wild Success!
Main Street Studio was packed for the launch of An Expedition in Wild Clay — standing room only! Ceramic artists, community residents, students, geologists, history buffs, and curious first-timers filled the studio shoulder to shoulder!
View all of the presentations on YouTube.
Or download a pdf of the full presentation.
Setting the Tone
Jason and Dana Nemec opened the evening with an introduction to Main Street Studio and its mission — a community craft studio built on peer learning, natural materials, and traditional techniques. Everyone a student, everyone a teacher. Diverse and accessible, welcoming makers, collectors, historians, scientists, farmers, and storytellers alike. Then they set the tone for what this program would be: not a pottery class, not a lecture series — an expedition. Real field trips, real discoveries, real dirt under our fingernails. The big milestones are mapped out. What happens in between, we discover together!
A Family of Potters
Arlene Rhodes of the Galway Preservation Society brought the evening's first revelation. Through old maps, land deeds, and preserved records, she walked us through the clues that tell the story of a family of potters and business partners who manufactured pottery and stoneware right in Galway, NY — just a few miles from the studio — during the 1800s. She also brought with her a beautiful collection of historic crocks made in Galway, some with a rich brown glaze that may be the famous Albany Slip, some possibly made from clay dug right here in our own area.
How the Land Was Shaped
Don Rodbell, Professor of Geosciences at Union College, gave us a different kind of historical perspective — one measured not in centuries but in millennia. He explained how glaciers shaped the landscape around us, creating the perfect conditions for clay particles to settle in the vast glacial lakes that once covered our area. While many in the room were familiar with Glacial Lake Albany to the south, Don introduced us to the glacial lakes that once covered Amsterdam and Glenville — lakes that eventually drained out into what is today the Mohawk River Valley. The clay beneath our feet, it turns out, is a gift from the Ice Age.
The Clay in Our Hands
Then things got tactile. Patricia Testo let us reach in and grab some clay she dug from the West Glenville Hills. It was surprisingly malleable and even though it was a dark greenish color, we saw samples of how it fires to a beautiful terracotta color. It required very little processing, just drying, sifting through a kitchen strainer and rehydrating! Don Shore shared test results from clay dug from a clay bank in Ballston Spa. This clay had visible layers and turned to glass when fired at a high temperature — a dramatic reminder that not all clay behaves the same way. And Susan Nowogrodzki brought in clays she has collected from sites around the world, giving us a sense of the extraordinary range of what this material can be depending on where it comes from.
The Lure of Fire
Ceramic artist and educator Jordan Becker closed the evening on a note that had everyone leaning forward. He shared a brief history of how ceramic kilns were most likely built in our region — first by Native Americans, and later by early settlers. Jordan has spent his career studying ceramic kilns from around the world, and he laid out his vision for a kiln we can build together from the very clay we find on our expedition. As if that weren't enough, he shared some of his own stunning work — forms inspired by glaciers — creating a beautiful full-circle moment with Don Rodbell's earlier geological revelations. 
What Comes Next
The expedition is just beginning! Over the coming months we'll be scouting locations, digging clay, testing it, processing it, building a primitive kiln, and firing a collection of objects made from clay pulled from our own ground. Every step will be documented and shared — here on the website, and through our Discord channel for expeditioners who want to stay close to the process.
Whether you were in the room for this kickoff presentation or are just finding out about this now — there's still a place for you in this project.
Register to join us! It's free and the only thing required is curiosity!
Save the dates!
Saturday, August 15 – Visit 2-3 clay dig locations
Saturday, August 29 – Extracting & transporting clay
Saturday, Sept 19 – Build the kiln
Saturday, Oct 3 – First firing!
More dates coming soon — stay tuned!
