Steven Kin's Busy #Pottober
If you’re heading to Raku Party this Saturday, one of the faces you’re sure to see is Steven Kin, Pewabic Street Team technician. Like everyone in our Education Studio, Raku Party has a soft spot in his heart.
“It’s an all day event so it can get a little taxing, but it’s a lot of fun,” he says.
“I really like to see people’s reactions to raku, especially if they haven’t seen it before. Ceramics-in-about-an-hour is nice to show people and it’s enough to get people intrigued. If they want to know more, we’re an institution and we can teach more about it.”
When he isn’t stoking the raku fire at Pewabic, Steven works on his personal pottery, which for the month of October has included his own version of #promptober and #inktober. Finding the designer prompts tough to translate to pottery, he created his own for #pottober to have fun and to keep his skills sharp. We caught up with him in the studio on day seven when his challenge was intentionally broad: “tea.”
“I’ve only made about two teapots ever, so this is a personal challenge. I’ve made many teacups and tea bowls, so it’s a chance to make something new,” explains Steven, who admits he happens to need a teapot at home.
Other prompts are items he never really thought much about making, like the “butter dish” he made on day four or the “donut” he has planned for day 21. Breaking out of the norm is what he likes about #pottober.
“I don’t think you can be normal and be in this profession. Then again, this is our normal now so I guess we are normal,” he laughs.
We plan on adding a few finished pieces down the line (including the teapot below, assembled and fired). In the meantime, follow Steven and his #pottober mission – and to see what he's made so far (love those butter dishes) – @s_kin on Instagram.
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BLACK LIVES MATTER.
Pewabic has operated in Detroit for over a century. We recognize the inequity our Black community faces on a daily basis and we share the grief and horror following the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and far too many others.
The challenges currently facing this nation are severe and will require all of us working together to overcome. But progress will only be made when we recognize that the pain and suffering has not been equally shared. Black Lives Matter. We stand with those calling for an end to racism and injustice. We know that we have much more work to do ourselves, but we will continue our efforts to build an organization that is welcoming to and fully reflective of Detroit's diverse community.
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dorothy k tedeschi
January 14, 2020
so cool! People keep telling me to download “the gram” I think I will – thank you!