Digging into Local History, Geology & Pottery
Somewhere beneath the farm fields on the western edge of Saratoga County, there is clay that hasn't been touched in over a century. We know this from old maps and the preserved oral histories of a family of potters who dug that clay and helped put the small town of Galway on the map with their stoneware factory in the mid-to-late 1800s. Preserved crocks and shards of their pottery piqued our curiosity and made us want to dig deeper. We want to find that clay, understand it, and make something beautiful from it again — join us in person, or follow along online as we embark on An Expedition in Wild Clay.
This isn't a pottery class or a lecture series. It's an expedition — with real field trips, real discoveries, and real dirt under your fingernails. Geologists will help us read the landscape and identify where clay deposits might lie. Historians will connect us to the people who worked this land before us. Then we go looking: scouting locations, digging clay, hauling it back, and learning to process raw earth into something workable. Ceramic artists will guide us through testing, forming, and glazing — and together we'll build a kiln from scratch and fire it. Whether you're a serious ceramicist, a tinkerer, a history lover, a curious kid, or someone who just wants to do something genuinely unlike anything else — there's a place for you in this project. Let's find out together what's under our feet!
Join us for our community kick-off evening — An Introduction to Wild Clay — on Tuesday, July 1 at 6:00pm at Main Street Studio.
At this kick-off evening you'll hear from the experts leading the expedition: a local historian will share maps and records tracing a family of Galway potters back to the mid-1800s, a geologist will explain what makes our area rich in clay deposits, a ceramic artist will give a hands-on demonstration of how raw found clay becomes workable material, and our kiln builder will lay out the big goal — to find enough clay to build a primitive kiln and fire a collection of objects from scratch.
Whether you're a ceramic artist, a history buff, a nature lover, or just curious — this is the place to find out what we're up to and how to get involved. Free to attend.
Register on Eventbrite — registration encouraged for capacity planning!
📍 Main Street Studio, 786 Charlton Road, Charlton NY 12019
📅 Tuesday, July 1 at 6:00pm
Presenters:
The history of Galway potters and stoneware: Arlene Rhodes, Galway Historical Society
Glacial lakes and clay formation: Donald Rodbell, Professor of Geology & Geosciences at Union College
Digging, testing and making with local clay: Patricia Testo, Don Shore and Susan Nowogrodzki
Clay Explorations & Primitive Firing: Jordan Becker, Ceramic Artist and Educator
Saratoga Arts has made this program possible through the Community Arts Regrant Program, funded by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Main Street Studio exists because of it's member support!