The Berkshire Potters Collective (BPC) is a group of potters in Berkshire County. Our mission is to promote a vibrant community of potters to share ideas, techniques, creative energy, technical knowledge, and love of all things clay.
You can contact us at BerkshirePottersCollective@gmail.com, and find BPC online on our Instagram page, Facebook group, and private Google group.
BPC Membership
Membership is open to everyone who shares a passion for pottery. Join the Berkshire Potters Collective to receive a quarterly newsletter and invitation to bi-monthly meetings.
Members are asked to contribute an annual donation of $20 (about the cost of a bag of clay). Donations are tax-deductible and scholarships are available so no one is turned away.
Member benefits include:
Priority registration for all BPC programs and workshops
Access to the private BPC Google Group
Borrow equipment through Berkshire Art Center, such as a photography light box and craft show equipment (tent, table, table cloth, risers, banner)
Participation in Berkshire Potters Collective sales and exhibitions
Help determine the future direction and programs of the Collective
The Berkshire Potters Collective is funded in part by the Stockbridge Cultural Council, a state agency funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
BPC Events
The Berkshire Potters Collective brings potters together for supportive feedback and peer critiques, visits to exhibitions and ceramic artists’ studios, and we share resources (kiln space, glaze recipes, books, advice, and skills). We meet every other month to form community, make new friends, and learn something new.
2024 programming will include artist talks, Crit Club meetings, a potluck and our annual Berkshire Potters Collective Holiday Sale in early December. Register for events below!
Upcoming Events
Past Events
In partnership with Berkshire Art Center and Zion Lutheran Church, South Community Food Pantry is holding an "Empty Bowls" fundraising event to offset the tremendous increase in food insecurity in our community and the rising cost of food. Join us for community, ceramics, soup, entertainment, and more!
Join the Berkshire Potters Collective for Crit Club to receive supportive feedback on your work from fellow ceramic artists!
You are all invited to be part of Rock + Bowl, a fundraiser for South Community Food Pantry! This is special open studio time for glazing bowls (created Feb. 24th & 25th) with free cone 6 glazes and free firing time. All bowls will be donated to the Rock and Bowl event.
Learn to grow your formal and textural catalog of ideas through the use of textured wood blocks, a heat gun, and freehand altering with instructor, Ben Eberle!
You are all invited to be part of Rock + Bowl, a fundraiser for South Community Food Pantry! This is special open studio time for making bowls with free reclaimed clay and glazing with free cone 6 glazes and free firing time. All bowls will be donated to the Rock and Bowl event.
Join the Berkshire Potters Collective for Crit Club to receive supportive feedback on your work from fellow ceramic artists!
Potters Alison Palmer and Steve Katz will share their experience of growing their very successful online sales. They will share why they picked the sales outlet they did and describe their best practices for tracking and cataloging work.
Celebrate the season of giving & sharing by joining the Berkshire Potters Collective for the First Annual Holiday Pottery Sale featuring one-of-a-kind ceramic art pieces created by various talented BPC members!
Join the Berkshire Potters Collective for Crit Club meetings every other month to receive supportive feedback on your work from fellow ceramic artists!
Join the Berkshire Potters Collective for an overview of pit firing with Kathy Cady of Hillside Ceramics!
Join the Berkshire Potters Collective for Crit Club meetings every other month to receive supportive feedback on your work from fellow ceramic artists!
Join the Berkshire Potters Collective for a tour of Sheffield Pottery!
Join the Berkshire Potters Collective for Crit Club meetings every other month to receive supportive feedback on your work from fellow ceramic artists!
Learn what you need to know to participate in a show or craft fair!
Our first Crit Club & Pot Luck is a wonderful chance to get to know other members, receive supportive feedback on your work, and celebrate the season with a potluck meal.
We are excited to have three wonderful members demonstrating how they make handles.
Join us for this exciting event at the wood fire kiln at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington.
Join us for an outdoor ‘meet and greet’ and learn more about the new Berkshire Potters Collective.
Local Pottery Resources
The Berkshire Potters Collective has compiled helpful resources, including calls for entry and community firings. Do you have a resource to share? Please add your suggestion.