Pewabic to Begin Leadership Transition

Steve McBride, Pewabic Executive Director. Photographed by EEBerger

Now in our 122nd year, Pewabic Pottery has begun the search for a new executive director. Current Executive Director Steve McBride, who has guided the pottery for more than a decade, is retiring for health reasons. His last day will be September 30.

“What an honor it has been to lead this iconic organization for the last ten years,” says Steve. “This has been an exciting time to be in Detroit, and a time of dynamic growth for the pottery. Pewabic’s success is a tribute to the many creative and dedicated staff members, and the equally passionate customers, donors, and foundations who have contributed to this rich Detroit institution. It has been the highlight of my career to be able to be part of the Pewabic legacy.” 

Reflecting on his tenure at the pottery, Steve shared a few of his favorite memories and projects from the last ten years.

The Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation Pewabic Tile Studio

Built in 2018 and opened in 2019, this $1.1 million project added 2,500sf of studio space to craft Pewabic’s molds and press our tiles. Benefitting from the support of hundreds of individual and foundation donors, this was the first physical expansion of Pewabic’s production space since 1912! The project earned a 2019 AIA Detroit Honor Award, the 2019 CREW Impact Award for New Construction, 2019 Outstanding Project of the Year from the National Association of Women in Construction, and was a featured project in 2019 Detroit Design 139 Exhibition.

Courtyard Placemaking

Thanks to a Southeast Michigan Placemaking grant from the William Davidson Foundation and New York’s Project for Public Spaces, Pewabic was able to transform our courtyard into a beautiful and dynamic outdoor space, which we use for events and our outdoor summer market. Steve was invited to speak about the project at the 2019 International Placemaking Conference in Chattanooga, TN.

Pewabic Street Team

A 2015 grant from the Knight Arts Challenge Detroit helped us purchase a Ford Transit van and create a mobile pottery experience for residents from throughout the metro area.

High School Apprenticeship Program

A grant from the Max and Marjorie Fisher Foundation helped us launch a traditional tile making apprenticeship program for Detroit High School students.

Spreading the Word

Steve is shown giving host Kevin O’Connor a tour of the studio for a Detroit episode of PBS’s This Old House. Over the past ten years, Pewabic has been featured on the nationally syndicated PBS programs Craft in America and This Old House, Michigan Public Broadcasting’s Under the Radar and Detroit: The City of Churches, HGTV’s Rehab Addict and Bargain Block, Magnolia’s In With the Old, and more.

Infrastructure Improvements

In addition to the new tile studio, Pewabic has invested in physical improvements throughout the pottery. We’ve replaced our two main production kilns, along with multiple iridescent and education kilns and other production equipment. We installed a dust collection system to improve air quality and added air conditioning to our education studio. Thinking of the future, Pewabic installed solar panels in 2021.

Renovated Retail Store

A former studio potter, Steve has a special place in his heart for our retail pottery and tile. A new website, launched in 2018, helped expand awareness of our work across the country and the world. With the exception of Covid-restricted 2020, Pewabic has increased the sales of pottery and tile every year for the last ten years.

Expanded Museum Galleries

Visitors can enjoy the expanded Pewabic Museum displays during regular hours. The tile gallery shows examples of work from throughout our 122 year history. The museum is free and open to the public!

Pewabic Tile Installations

Nothing reflects our mission of enriching the human spirit through clay better than a Pewabic tile installation. Here are just a few highlights from the thousands of projects we’ve completed over the last ten years for residential and public spaces:

Plymouth District Library mural

Pewabic Retail Associate Laura with her granddaughter in front of the Pewabic mural at Ascension St John Hospital.

Pewabic tiles in the Q-Line stations

Little Caesars Arena

Residential “Palm House” fireplace

Installing a memorial grave marker at Pewabic founder Mary Chase Perry Stratton’s grave site in Birmingham’s Historic Greenwood Cemetery in 2024.

Collaborating with so many talented Pewabic staff members and trustees to make Pewabic what it is today!

As we thank Steve before his retirement on September 30th, please share your favorite memories of the pottery from the last decade in the comments below!