Artists open pottery studio, offer lessons

After years of honing their pottery making skills, Robin McGregor and Lori Nourse said it was time to go into business for themselves.

Both are former pottery teachers at the Brewery Arts Center who are about to open Carson City Pottery, a studio and classroom for those who want to learn the craft. Their grand opening is noon Sunday.

"We just got to a point where we wanted to move on," said Nourse, who is leasing the building on Carmine Street near CVS Pharmacy on Highway 50 East. Friends are still helping McGregor, 54, and Nourse, 52, set up their shop, which will feature a retail section for their work as well as their students' and an open studio.

The idea didn't take long to come together, either. McGregor approached Nourse about opening a pottery school in mid-July.

"And we pulled it together," Nourse said. "We're still pulling."

Classes will begin Sept. 13, with six-week classes for beginners on Tuesdays, 10-week classes for intermediates and beginner class graduates, and drop-in time for those with busy schedules.

There also are open studio lab hours for those who wish to work independently. Classes meet once a week for three hours.

McGregor said she has been doing pottery for 18 years, Nourse since she was a teenager.

McGregor started studying pottery in 1992 in the New York City area, eventually earning a certificate in ceramics from the New Hampshire Institute of Art. She has taught in her private studio at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, N.H., and most recently at the Brewery Arts Center.

Nourse took her first course in pottery as a teenager at the Vermont State Craft Center at Frog Hollow in her hometown of Middlebury, Vt., and became a fine arts major at Skidmore College, eventually apprenticing at Frog Hollow.

Nourse also runs FauxEver Yours, a faux finishing business, in Carson City.

Both say making pottery is an effective stress reliever.

"When I was a teenager I worked at a grocery store. I would get off at night and I'd go down to the studio and I threw my best stuff when I was mad at the manager," Nourse said.

Adds McGregor, "And we both believe the more teachers you have the better."

Class enrollment may be reserved by phone, e-mail, or in person at the grand opening. Additional information may be found on Facebook, search Carson City Pottery.