How Hard Can It Be? CCS 2026 – Gillian McMillan

The latest Canadian Clay Symposium took place at the Shadbolt Centre, as usual, on March 21st, and it’s taken this long for me to sort my photos and put together my experience of a super weekend. On the Friday evening Jesse Birch of Nanaimo AG gave the keynote speech at the Emily Carr U campus. He spoke about ways of sharing ceramic collections with gallery visitors.

Before his talk we were warmly welcomed by a local First Nations singer and drummer, and then by ECU Ceramics prof Brendan Tang. People we have lost since the last Symposium were remembered, and two longtime Shadbolt Centre employees were specially honoured. Sharon Reay and Linda Doherty published their thanks in the following BC Potters Guild newsletter.

Our thanks to the Canadian Clay Symposium Collective for all their hard work over the years and being such a joy to partner with. Our thanks to the Shadbolt Centre and City of Burnaby, for their support and for giving us the opportunity to work in one of the best jobs ever, with an immensely talented group of people, at the most beautiful location imaginable.

Back in 2004, British potter, Jane Hamlyn, spent a long day and night at the Shadbolt, setting-up for the ‘Re-Inventing the Wheel’ Symposium. Jet-lagged and exhausted, she asked “Where on earth did you ever find so many people, who care so much?” We would simply like to point out a few of those people, who cared so much, and made our jobs so much easier:

Cathi Jeﬀerson: Who started the whole Symposium ball rolling.
Keith and Celia Rice-Jones: For feeding and housing so many weary, travelling potters from all over the world.
Carol Mayer: Who always lent her voice and her support to any event we asked her to.
Bob Kingsmill: Whose response to whatever request we had, even at short notice, was always: “What do you want me to do, sweetheart?”
And, of course, Jay MacLennan: The guy with all the answers, all the time – who never learned to say, “No” to us.

Thank you all, so very much, from the bottom of both our hearts.

Thank you Linda and Sharon for your enthusiastic help to us, Shadbolt’s workshop and class attendees over the years. Below are my poor photos of some of their work, displayed at the Centre for us to see the next day. Here also are Robin and Eden Dupont who fervently asked for our assistance in the ongoing saga of saving the famed Ceramic programme which was the Kootenay School of the Arts. Selkirk College has announced its closure but there is hope for saving it..

The following day in Burnaby was filled with presentations, vendor and information booths, the Potters Guild of BC one-day show ‘Sur La Table’, the Nelson Airstream Gallery, and adjacent shows in the Lower Mainland. I think I’d better make a separate blog to show some of Fraser Valley Potters Guild’s show at the nearby Deer Lake Art Gallery.

I spent the first hour in the large room where Calgary potters Vin Arora and Lael Chmelyk were demonstrating. I believe they are studio mates in Calgary. Vin has only moved over the Rockies in the last year or so, having taught here in the Lower Mainland for many years. As Vin spoke enthusiastically about his journey in clay, with a good slide show, Lael quietly got on with throwing parts for teapot and other forms she would later assemble. Vin then worked as she gave her presentation. Later in the afternoon I saw several pieces that they had completed.. or nearly.

Some of their pots were displayed in the same room, for sale.

Then I checked the studio theatre presentation room to see Vancouver’s Jai Sallay-Carrington and Grace Han from Winnipeg. Unfortunately this wasn’t a room you could easily come and go from and I’m sorry to admit that I was only there once. I didn’t see any of Grace’s work displayed in the hallway but I have good memories of her work from a show with our own Gloria Han at Coquitlam’s Evergreen AG a while ago.

In the hallway there were displays of presenters Jai and Lael’s work. We were so amazed by Jai’s intricate sculptures at the recent PGBC 70th Anniversary show at the Italian Cultural Centre.

I grabbed a lunch from one of the food trucks outside, visited the Airstream Gallery, walked down to Deer Lake AG, and checked the vendors and information booths for a while. Suddenly it was time for the presenters to be finishing their work and vendors packing up. All the conversations with so many friends in our clay community, and lots of good pots and supplies to admire, made my day complete. I’m just sorry I never got back to see what Grace and Jai had spent their day making.

As I returned to the parking lot I passed the display of bisque-fired pots made by previous Shadbolt Centre workshop presenters. I have enjoyed so many of these workshops and meeting the artists.

This Post Has 3 Comments

Jan April 9th, 2026

Thanks for sharing the weekend with those of us who didn’t make it for the whole event. Glad to have made the Friday evening opener at Emily Carr, that’s for sure. Jesse Birch’s presentation memorable, as he focussed on several potters, like Lari Robson, whose almost mythical status as the ‘potters’ potter’ only grows.
Here’s to all the mud lovers in BC!! May they prosper. Cheers to you all.
Jan
Gillian McMillan April 9th, 2026

Thanks for this, Jan. Your enthusiasm for all things BC Pottery is undiminished! Glad to have connected on the Friday. G
Eden DuPont April 13th, 2026

Always lovely to see you Gillian. It was such a wonderful weekend, full of great conversations. Love this clay community ♥️

Gillian McMillan

This Post Has 3 Comments

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