Fired up for pottery
Plus the top news of the week: Mask mandate to end soon? — Commissioner Ella Scarborough placed on medical leave — Bus driver shot in suspected road rage incident — Sam Mills elected to Hall of Fame
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Seeking a creative outlet, more adults are turning to pottery classes since the pandemic; scoring a class spot ‘is like getting the best concert tickets’
Arts administrators’ heads are spinning over the increased interest in pottery that’s happened in the last year or so. (Photo courtesy of Clayworks)
by Cristina Bolling
YMCA arts program director Shana Templin had given up on offering adult ceramics courses at the Morrison Family YMCA years ago, because people would say they wanted to take pottery classes and then fail to sign up.
But when 2021 rolled around, Templin had a hunch that grownups were ready to tap into their creative sides and were seeking an outlet for expression and self-care.
She was right.
Templin announced a four-week ceramics course that would meet on Sunday afternoons in the fall in the Morrison YMCA’s ceramics studio in Ballantyne, and it filled up with people who wanted the chance to learn the basics of pottery while making holiday-themed projects like platters to use at Thanksgiving dinner or ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree.
Now, there’s lots of excitement about her next four-week class in March, which will have pottery novices throwing clay to make vessels for plants — vases, wall-pockets and the like, ending with potting a live plant in the last class.
“I’ve asked people, ‘What made you want to sign up?’ They are looking for a refuge,” Templin said. “They are looking for a mental health outlet. They are looking for belonging. … I think adults are finally allowing themselves to be artists, whereas typically they think of it as something for kids.”
Eager to create: The surge in interest in pottery since the pandemic has shown up in studios across Charlotte, where directors say they’ve never seen people as eager to create as they are right now.
At Clayworks, a ceramics and art education non-profit in east Charlotte, executive director Adrienne Dellinger says classes “fly off the shelf” when they open for registration.
“When we release them, it’s like getting the best concert tickets you could possibly get,” she said. “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
In addition to courses that span weeks at a time, Clayworks also has monthly one-time wheel workshops that consistently sell out. Dellinger used to have to spend a portion of her budget on advertising, but she says she doesn’t need to do that anymore.
“We live in a pretty tech-y society where we’re all about the phones and things with tech. Clay brings you back to a connection to the Earth, and it’s relaxing,” she said. “We refer to the door here as a ‘magic door.’ You can (walk through and) forget all of your troubles that are out there in the world.”
Central Piedmont Community College ceramics professor Paula Smith says she used to have to recruit students to take her night ceramics courses, but now she’s seeing those spots fill up with more non-traditional students than before.
Smith’s Ceramics 1 class is 16 weeks long and meets two nights a week, during which she teaches students the basics of hand building, coil building and slab building, and she introduces the throwing wheel. Ceramics 2 focuses on the throwing wheel, and it meets during the day.
Smith said she’s been watching the surge in interest play out across the city, from The Little Studio clay workshop in Plaza-Midwood to Carolina Clay Connection in Pineville.
“If you try a class in clay, you’ll possibly fall in love with clay,” she said, “and it changes your life.”
Cristina Bolling is managing editor of The Ledger: cristina@cltledger.com
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This week in Charlotte: County commissioner placed on medical leave, mask mandate could end soon, Wells sets return date, bus driver shot, Sam Mills elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Politics
Commissioner on leave: (WFAE) Mecklenburg County commissioners voted Tuesday to place commissioner Ella Scarborough on paid medical leave and to appoint someone to finish the rest of her term. Scarborough, 76, struggled to participate in virtual meetings for most of 2021 and hasn’t been present in person or virtually since in-person meetings started back in October.
Will new hire handle city money? (WFAE) Mayor Vi Lyles said the official hired by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance to help oversee the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative won’t be working with city money — even though the Alliance suggests that she will. The Alliance hired Kimberly Henderson last week. It later came to light that during Henderson’s tenure as director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, an audit found nearly $4B of unemployment fraud and overpayments during the pandemic.
Local news
End to mask mandate near? (Ledger 🔒) Mecklenburg health director Raynard Washington said he plans to recommend an end to the county’s mask mandate at a meeting next week, “assuming the trends continue the way they are at the speed that they are declining.” This week, 11 states announced changes to their indoor mask policies, ABC News reported.
Bus driver shooting: (WBTV) A CATS bus driver was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after being shot in uptown on Friday night. Police said a suspect driving an SUV fired into a bus around 9:35 p.m. at West Trade and South Graham streets, about a block from the federal courthouse. The driver was hit but none of the four passengers was injured. Police had made no arrests as of Saturday morning. WCNC reported that “the bus driver and suspect got into a verbal altercation while stopped at a red light on Trade Street.”
Jail safety violations: (Observer) The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services has cited the Mecklenburg County Jail for major safety violations stemming from staffing shortages. A report concluded that the jail lacks the staff to supervise inmates properly, which can lead to fights and other violence. The state previously recommended that officials cut the jail population by about 30%, and if conditions don’t improve, the state could move to close the jail. Sheriff Garry McFadden said his staff is continuing to address staffing issues.
Education
CMS boundary input meetings: (Ledger) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has announced a schedule of meetings designed to give the public input on where boundary lines will be drawn for three new elementary schools and a new high school that are planned to be built over the next few years. The meetings will be held on Zoom.
Administrators reassigned: (Observer) The principal and assistant principal at Hawthorne Academy are being moved to other jobs in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, following publicity over the school’s handling of a report of sexual assault last year.
New high school named: The new high school under construction by The Palisades development, at 14947 York Road (N.C. 49), will be called … Palisades High School. Other names considered included Steele Creek High and Lakeside High. It is scheduled to open in August and will relieve overcrowding at Olympic High School.
Business
Back to work: (Reuters) Most Wells Fargo employees will return to the office on March 14 under hybrid work arrangements, according to an internal memo. The bank allowed workers to return early starting Wednesday and to resume business meetings, client visits and travel, if they are fully vaccinated.
BofA chief gets raise: (Reuters) Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan’s total compensation rose more than 30% in 2021, to $32M. The bank’s board said the raise was based on the bank setting a record for net income and also because the company’s stock soared 47%.
Booming South End: (Ledger 🔒) In a special report on Wednesday, The Ledger examined 17 development projects that will reshape South End’s skyline. In a thorough article, Clayton Sealey of CLT Development breaks down the projects and the trends on this photo illustration:
Sports
Panther elected to Hall of Fame: (Panthers) The late Sam Mills, who played and coached for the Carolina Panthers, was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Panthers said Thursday. Mills played 12 seasons in the NFL. He was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2003 and coined the Panthers cheer “keep pounding.” He passed away in 2005.
Charlotte FC outlook: Asked for his outlook on the upcoming season, which starts in two weeks, Charlotte FC coach Miguel Ángel Ramirez said: “When we finish building the roster, I will return to that question and tell you. Right now, we are screwed.” You can follow the team this season in a fan-friendly way in The Ledger’s new Fútbol Friday newsletter, which started this week.
Good reads
N.C. ‘stay-at-home uncle’ dominates on ‘Jeopardy!’: (N.C. Rabbit Hole) A self-described “stay-at-home uncle” from East Bend, N.C., outside of Winston-Salem, had a good run on the game show “Jeopardy!” this week, earning nearly $75,000 in three games. He has a background in theater, worked in the wine industry and once played a conch shell at a wedding. “Stay-at-home uncle started as a sort of joke to support and undermine my sister’s authority as a parent,” he said. “I love her, but she used to pull my hair.”
Prince’s vacation getaway: (Ledger) Charlotte businessman Tom Barnes bought Prince’s luxurious mansion in Turks and Caicos in 2019 and he’s renovated it and bought the house next door to create an estate called Emara that went on the rental market last month. Rates to rent out all 17 bedrooms start at $18,000 per night including on-site chefs, housekeeping and security. Barnes kept Prince’s purple driveway and purple tennis court and has mementos of the singer in the home.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Building ‘middle market’ apartments for seniors: (Friday 🔒) A Maryland company called Arden announced it’s building four apartment complexes in the Charlotte region focusing on ages 55+. They are aimed at seniors who are not rich or poor and will have pickleball courts and craft rooms. Creating interactions among seniors will also help solve “that loneliness factor that exists,” the company’s managing partner told The Ledger.
Heart of the handbell ringers: (Ways of Life 🔒) Tina Davis was the “group mom” of the Charlotte Bronze Handbell Ensemble. When she became gravely sick with cancer, her fellow handbell players rushed to commission a special handbell piece in her honor. She was presented with the piece while in hospice care and died the next day.
Golf cart sales accelerate: (Transit Time) Golf cart retailers say sales have zoomed since the pandemic, with both retirees and families looking for fun things to do while they’re staying home more. At the same time, golf carts are harder to come by because of supply chain manufacturing woes, so some customers have to wait months for a new golf cart.
Learner’s permit rules: (Friday 🔒) The 6-month requirement for teen drivers to hold a learner’s permit in North Carolina has been extended through 2022. Previously, teens were required to have a learner’s permit for 12 months, but that rule was changed during Covid. North Carolina Department of Transportation officials say they’ve brought back road tests for teens seeking their Level 3 driver’s license that allows them to drive at any time of the day or night.
40 Over 40 judges revealed: (Monday) Check out the impressive and inspiring panel of 24-to-39-year-old judges we’ve assembled for The Ledger’s third-annual 40 Over 40 Awards, which honor unsung heroes in our community who are doing great work … and happen to be over age 40. Nominations for the awards closed on Monday, which means the judges are about to dive into the task of choosing winners. Good luck to them!
Cold winter? (Monday) It may seem like this winter has been colder than normal with some blustery days and snow, but WCNC meteorologist Brad Panovich laid out the data last weekend that shows that this winter is on pace to be Charlotte’s 10th warmest on record. Panovich said it’s an example of “recency bias,” because our memories of recent cold weather overshadow the warmer days we’ve seen previously.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project