VALDOSTA — One of the Annette Howell Turner Center’s most popular programs is ceramics. Instructor Taylor Nalley leads monthly workshops for youth and adults at the center, and she describes how ceramics gives her community and the joy of inspiring others.

Nalley enjoys ceramics, music, and oil painting, but her passion for clay took off while pursuing her B.F.A. at Valdosta State University. After the pandemic, she began looking for ways to escape the sense of confinement she experienced during quarantine. Only four ceramics students were allowed to work in the VSU ceramics studios at once during that time, and Nalley became one of the regulars. She explained that working alongside small groups of fellow students gave her a sense of home, and described how small groups of regular students began to bond and share their experiences with each other while working with clay. Soon after this, Nalley was part of a group of experienced students asked to help mentor new students, and while working to inspire and encourage the students, her passion for teaching ceramics began to grow.

Nalley began working with students at the center as a class assistant and became the lead instructor for monthly Kids and Adult Pottery Workshops at the center in March of 2023. She now also leads Ceramics Open Studios and Raku Firing Sessions for the Center’s Weekday Pottery students. In addition to teaching, Nalley creates her own work in the center’s Hudson Pottery Studio and spends extra time outside of her studio hours developing her craft through journaling, researching techniques used by other artists, and sketching ideas for her own work. She recently built her own raku kiln for reduction firings of ceramic works and considers that one of her greatest accomplishments as an artist.

When asked what a typical class might look like, Nalley explained that Kids Pottery Workshops begin with a loose prompt, and then students develop sketches and begin to transpose their vision to the clay. She stated that what she enjoys most about working with young students is “their optimistic attitudes and willingness to take chances with their work.” In Adult Pottery Workshops, Nalley and the students “hit the ground running,” brainstorming ideas and workshopping the best way to bring them to life. The students each create a keepsake of their choice and learn techniques and studio insights in the process. Nalley frequently has repeat students and said, “It’s very encouraging to watch students develop their own style of creating and problem solving as they complete their ceramic projects.” Many students who begin ceramics by enrolling in weekend workshops develop a passion for clay that leads them to enroll in weekly classes at the center, and eventually to exhibit and sell their work.

To learn more about ceramics classes at the center, visit turnercenter.org/classes, or contact Art Education Administrator Hailey Rathmann at hrathmann@turnercenter.org or (229) 247-2787.