Letter to our Community : Clay, the CAC Community, Covid, & the Times We Live In

Jeanne Carreau, Clay Art Center Instructor

June 20, 2020

Right now, I’m struggling with not having control over the trajectory of my life let alone daily events. Oddly, working with clay has helped prepare me for dealing with this new reality. When I work with clay, I can’t control the process-- cracks happen, glazes run, colors don’t look as I planned. Early on, I learned to go with the cosmic flow, roll with the punches, accept what is, not what might have been. Letting go is the mantra of clay workers. That mindset has come in handy these past few months….
 
Fortunately, clay workers are also used to problem solving, trouble shooting, figuring things out, getting “stuff” done. We’re not easily discouraged and we don’t give up. These skills serve us well as we adapt our studio and work practices to the realities of living and working with Covid. We can and we will do it.
 
But it’s not painless….CAC has always been about bringing people together to freely share our love of working with clay, our expertise, our knowledge, our skills; all the while supporting each other through our life moments and milestones—job changes and losses, births, illnesses, deaths, successes, challenges, happy times, sad times.
 
CAC has brought me together with people I’d never meet otherwise to share an activity we all love.  Age, career, education, economic status, race, nationality, language spoken, orientation, ability or disability, are no barrier as we work side by side.
 
Now Covid requires us to be apart physically to stay “safe”, but I miss being at CAC with an almost visceral yearning. My “happy place” where I could always come alone to be together with clay friends any day of the week, any time of the day, has been off limits.
 
And, increasingly, it’s obvious that this is the very time our community and our world need to come together, metaphorically if not yet physically. 
 
We can’t control this virus or our cosmic reality. We can control how we imagine our community going forward and how we treat each other. Let’s take this pivotal “pause”, “reset” moment to mold an even more hospitable, welcoming, inclusive vision for CAC and cherish our moments together even more.

Jeanne Carreau
Clay Art Center Faculty

*Originally posted June 20, 2020 in our weekly email newsletter.