Berkeley Potters Guild

Absolutely adore this place! It’s wonderful to be able to buy directly from all the talented artists here, and super cool to be able to wander through all the amazing studios! Love their annual holiday sale as well! Perfect place to pick out one of a kind, hand made artisanal gifts. We recently scored some absolutely magical gems from artist Kimi Masui there yesterday. Can’t recommend enough! Do yourself a favor and stop by this magic place!

Just beyond Fourth St.‘s trendy shops, in the industrial section, is the Berkeley Potters Guild studios and shop. We visited it during one of its major weekend sales when there were lots of works on display. We particularly like the very finely crafted works of Itsuko Zentani, Sarah Gregory, Kimi Masui and Kiyomi Koido. If you are looking for gifts or something functional or decorative for yourself, this is a great place to shop.

This place is amazing ! We bought two gorgeous bowls by a phenomenal artist named, Patricia Uchill Simons. We got to meet her she told us all about the process of making each of these magnificent pieces of art. I am so glad we went in and met this fabulous artist and her colleges and got to share in these unique pieces of art.

I went to their weekend open house for the first time last holiday season and found beautiful, one-​of-​a-​kind stuff. My mother-​in-​law received a gorgeous pair of earrings from Janie Rose. I treated myself to a stunning little rooster pitcher/​creamer from Carol Valk and a beautiful little bowl with pears from Sarah Gregory that I use to hold kosher salt for cooking. Lastly, I couldn’t resist a whimsical little bird on a hand from John and Theresa Stephenson. There’s a diverse range of styles from the guild members — something for everyone — and you’re supporting real artisans.

The BPG is a really fun place to visit, and a foolproof source for unique gifts.
It’s cool to see the artists’ work spaces and if you go during a sale you can even meet them. It’s always nice to know you’re supporting real people instead of faceless corporations.
For fun factor, Carol Valk’s pieces can’t be beat, and, as Toni mentioned, Kimi Masui is a true master. She can throw porcelain vessels so thin they’re translucent, and she finishes with some of the most sophisticated glazes I’ve ever seen. Some of Kimi’s pieces are among the most-​used dishes in my home and they’ve held up impeccably over the years!

What a surprise! I expected there would be several reviews for the Berkeley Potters Guild and found only one, by my friend Kelly! The Potters Guild was established in 1971 and is the oldest and largest clay collaborative on the west coast, according to their card. I have visited them for years. People come and go and many of the pieces I have are by people who are no longer part of the collective.
Kimi Masui works in porcelain. Her pieces are exquisite, light and graceful. Regardless who else is in the guild, I’m always eager to see what she has. Her studio is in the back, so for me, it’s best for last.
I have been buying her work since she sold it on Telegraph Avenue. I have several of her cups and a covered jar that we use for nonfat dry milk. That jar has had a lot of use. It’s chipped and the lid has been broken and glued back together. I came here to see if I could find a replacement.
I went through the various exhibits of people’s work. Some is functional and some decorative. Some is both. When I read Kelly’s review and clicked on the link she included I saw that the woman whose piece she bought was one whose lovely, colorful work had attracted me as well:

I’m not sure how many potters are here. It’s a warren of spaces and hallways but if you wander through and double back a few times you can see everything. There’s even a jeweler, Janie Rose, who I suspect used to be a potter who was part of the collective years ago and switched to jewelry. Her earrings are attractive and inexpensive.
There are several potters who are new to the collective since I was last there a few years ago and there was a great deal to be admired, but I was looking for a couple of specific things. First was a replacement bowl for the cracked one, since I didn’t find what I was looking for at the Potter’s Studio. Finally I reached Kimi Masui’s studio. I immediately found a bowl to replace the cracked one. Kimi was there and I described to her the covered jar we had and its condition. She was very accommodating and patient, going through her backstock looking for jars the right size. There was one that was a perfect size, but the opening was a bit too small so I didn’t get it. I’ll keep checking.

I had been wanting to check this place out for some time… they were open and Dr. R. was going to get Audi parts in the area, so I decided to give it a looksee.
Yep, it was pretty pricey. I did buy an espresso cup and saucer for $ 35, but it was a beautiful cup which will bring me pleasure whenever I use it (like the other espresson cups I have in my collection). It was nice to meet the artist and when we took off the shelf, she gave me a couple of small slips that explained the piece and it’s care as well as her general philosophy. Here is her website:
I do love buying handmade ceramics. I bought the absolutely perfect cereal bowl from a crafts cooperative in West Virginia during a road trip and have always kicked myself that I did not buy two or even four. It is the perfect shade of blue and the perfect depth… feels good in the hand… that is the plus side to buying from the hand of the person who has made something. There is a recognition that a human being not only designed this object, but fabricated it to become a piece of your life.
One sour note was at the cashier. There is a central clerical area, staffed by the potters. We arrived at the area, to be third in line. During the second transaction, we waited through a mutual compliment of each other’s jewelry, conversation about who each of the potters were to each other and an eventual trading of email addresses with a plan to meet up later… all while we were waiting and feeling like chopped liver! :laugh: I know. how high school can you get? It just left a sour taste in my mouth, which I quickly dispelled at Vik’s!

I was visiting my brother in nearby Hercules, and my wife brought us down to the 4^th Street shopping street in Berkeley. We saw a sign for pottery, and my wife insisted we go walk the 2 blocks. Boy, was that a mistake.
We bought a small piece, way overpriced like everything else there, but it was cute, and we thought a good gift for my sister-​in-​law. However, she wanted to exchange it, so we brought it back to exchange only a week later and they wouldn’t let us. I asked to see the manager, and some woman claiming to be the President of the Guild came out and started berating us! I couldn’t believe it!
We hightailed it out of there as quick as we could, even though we had put the piece down on the counter and didn’t have it with us! So they now have our $ 85 and the hideous little vase too.