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By Courtesy Photo
The kiln is maneuvered into a 500-square foot annex at 2 Rivers Ceramics on Elm Street.
Kiln joy is here
By Kevin Doyle/kdoyle@cnc.com
Thu Mar 15, 2007, 01:13 PM EDT
The 2,000-square foot space, housed in an old mill building at 77 Elm St., is the brainchild of Byfield resident Lloyd Hamovit. Following last year’s fire at The Purple Sage in Merrimac and the closure of Ocmulgee Potteryin Ipswich, Hamovit says there was a dire need for a new studio in the area.
“I was interested in having a space where I could work and where we could also offer classes. So, I took some savings and took some loans and decided to go for it,” said Hamovit, who spent 20 years as a high school ceramics teacher and coach, most recently at Lawrence Academy in Groton.
“We’re trying to do it as a money-making venture with paid teachers. I think it can support itself. We’re starting up with adults and hoping to build by word of mouth. I’m anxious and excited,” he said.
Hamovit holds an undergraduate degree from Kenyon College, a Masters of Teaching from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Masters in Art Education from Harvard. His own work is currently on display at The Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton.
The business name is derived from the two rivers that converge in the Lower Millyard. Back River flows over the Clark’s Pond dam and traverses under the R Street bridge, under the building the studio is housed in and under Elm Street before emptying into the Powow River.
Hamovit performed a feasibility study and developed a business plan last October. Renovation work started in January, done entirely by local contractors. Since the old edifice was constructed into the side of a hill, entrance to the second-floor space is gained through a ground-level glass door off the small parking lot behind the building.
The centerpiece of the studio is a 40-cubic foot gas-fired reduction kiln, housed in a small annex off the main building.
“The kiln is the key element. The cubic footage is the interior space. It was inspected and approved by the State Board of Plumbers and Gas fitters. That was a four-month process. But, it’s a very safe kiln and has all the safety bells and whistles,” Hamovit said.
Artists will also find eight new potters’ wheels, a large slab roller and a professional grade extruder machine.
“Essentially, the extruder is a big Play-Doh machine for adults,” Hamovit said with a chuckle. “It’s all brand new equipment.”
The teaching staff includes Nancy Kemp-Soucy, an experienced clay artist of 30 years and the former owner of the closed shop in Ipswich; Larry Elardo, who returned to pottery four years ago after a 30-year layoff and is on the staff at the Essex Community Art Center in Lawrence; and Melynn Allen, a multi-media artist whose recent focus has been on ceramics.
This weekend’s open houses — scheduled for tonight (5 to 7 p.m.), tomorrow (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Sunday (noon to 5 p.m.) — are designed to introduce the studio’s adult offerings. Artist can sign up for eight-week classes such as Adult Intro to the Wheel, Adult Intro to Hand Built Ceramics and adult ceramics throughout the weekend. The sessions begin on April 2.
Hamovit said children’s classes will start up in the fall.
“There are certain things we still have to do to get the building up to code for children. I’m looking forward to working with all the local schools in an after-school program. Right now we’re doing all the research. We’ll do everything the proper way before we move forward with that part,” he said.
For more information about 2 Rivers Ceramics, or this weekend’s open houses, visit the Web site at www.2riversceramic.com.
