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"Learn something cool." Brookline pottery studio hopes to build skills you don't develop at work

By
Breana Pitts
Breana Pitts
Breana Pitts is a traffic reporter on WBZ-TV weekday mornings.
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Breana Pitts

/ CBS Boston

There's a pottery studio in Brookline, Massachusetts that's been bringing people together for more than 50 years with clay.

 on Station Street is a cooperatively run studio that has been part of Brookline since 1974. The block has evolved into a small creative hub, and inside the studio, the atmosphere is calm, welcoming, and hands-on.

"This is where people come to relax and to really think creatively," said potter Jennifer Wyman. "To learn something cool. To build some skills that are opposite of what they do for work. All kinds of doctors, lawyers, they're all out here just trying it."

Wyman is one of several artists who run the studio, where everyone pitches in. Members mix glazes, load kilns, clean the space, and even manage social media.

"It's not just a studio where leadership does the work, everybody does the work," Wyman explained. "It makes people really own the space, and it builds community. People get to know each other."

That sense of shared ownership is a big part of what keeps the studio thriving. Feet of Clay is home to about 140 potters, offering independent studio space for members as well as classes for all skill levels, including children.

The kids' classes, Wyman said, often produce some of the most memorable work.

"They're so free with what they make," she said. "Some of the coolest pieces we see (come) from the kids' class."

She said it's because they don't feel like their pottery has to be perfect.

"You might as well have a machine make it, if it's going to be perfect," Wyman said.

Pottery though, she added, has a way of humbling even experienced artists.

"It really shows your personality," Wyman said. "Are you going to be hard on yourself, or are you going to accept that it takes time, and you'll figure it out? You have to slow down to enjoy it, that's what makes it so meditative."

After each piece is shaped, it's fired in the kiln and then dipped into a wide range of glazes. Many of the glaze formulas have been passed down through generations of potters, adding another layer of history to each finished piece.

For Wyman, the work is deeply personal. Her inspiration often shows up in miniature sculptures.

"This little chair represents rest and how much I love birds," she said. "Each piece means a lot to me. It's a way I tell my story."

The studio offers a range of class packages and a pay-what-you-can option based on income, making the art form accessible to more people.

Clay, Wyman said, has a way of revealing who you are.

"You can see that it's a certain person's personality. It just comes right out into the pot, whether you like it or not," she said.

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