On rare occasions, a wealthy patron founds an institution and it has a profound impact on the culture of a community. Sharon Prince’s Grace Farms in New Canaan, and the Rosen’s Caramoor in Katonah, are a couple examples of the rich bounty of donor sponsored cultural opportunities in the B&NC MAG area.
Somewhat more modestly though just as nobly, Lisa Kroll has undertaken a complete restoration of the lower level of the Hammond Museum in North Salem to establish the eponymous Kroll Arts Center, complete with state of the art kilns, ten new throwing wheels, and extensive shelving, tables, sinks and tools.
The Kroll Ceramic Arts School at the Kroll Arts Center is now offering pottery classes! …And the first ten-week semester of classes was sold out!
Lisa is a long-time local who recently completed a spectacular home in Pound Ridge, and Lisa and the residence, including the extensive Japanese garden, and the craftsman that contributed in creating the home, will be featured separately in an upcoming issue of B&NC MAG! Amongst her many achievements, Lisa has crafted ceramics of such exquisite beauty and extreme quality that major museums in Europe and New York City have purchased her work!
“My vision is to create a place where the community comes together to learn, explore and create, and where the doors are open to everyone with a passion for the arts and a profound respect for natural beauty. Ceramic arts requires individual thought and expression and can serve as a powerful educator to that end. I chose The Hammond because I feel that harmony and peace are at the heart of Japanese beauty, and are well embodied in the Hammond Museum’s exhibits, stroll garden, and general philosophy of art and design,” Lisa explains.
“I proposed a business plan to The Hammond to create the Kroll Arts Center in order to help the Hammond Museum grow, evolve, thrive, and meet new goals,” Lisa says in her typically bodacious and blunt fashion. “It was a little ‘If you build it, they will come’ like in Field of Dreams, but I’m thrilled to say that our classes are already quite popular!”
The Kroll Ceramic Arts School offers classes for all ages including adults, teen, tweens, and parent-child. Courses include hands-on demonstrations, guided practice sessions, and personalized instruction from experienced instructors. Beginners learn various techniques including centering and shaping clay, surface decoration, and start to work with glazing processes and techniques. Intermediate and Advanced throwers learn how to achieve more complex and refined forms, explore more surface designs, and begin to master glaze mixes and glazing techniques.
David Glen Hughes helped set up and organize the programming at the Kroll Ceramic Arts School, and is one of the pottery artisans teaching classes. He is a member of the Art and Design faculty at King School in Stamford, Connecticut, and has been an avid potter for almost a half-century, teaching across the metropolitan area. “In just ten weeks, any beginner can learn the basics of pottery, be able to throw a form or two, and understand enough about the elements to begin refining their own techniques. And in just ten weeks, each student will get a feel for the joy of working clay,” David promises.
Of course, ‘humans’ have been molding clay for at least sixteen thousand years now…and artfully so almost from the start! Potters have been working on wheels for over five thousand years! …And pottery is and always has been the highest marriage of art and function!
Beyond each potter’s pursuit of the perfect pot…there’s the unique link between pottery, art, life, and spirit that author Kenneth Beittel described in his book Zen And The Art Of Pottery. Every potter proclaims the positives of putting their hands into the clay, sings the song of spending time sculpting, and will always warrant it was the way they worked that made the product worthy.
And this Winter, the Kroll Arts School will also begin to offer classes and a variety of engaging workshops in handbuilding clay, sculpture, and drawing and painting in acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media.
The upcoming term will cater to all ages and skill levels. With something for everyone, the Kroll Arts Center aims to foster creativity, develop skill and confidence, and foster connection within the community. The 10-week Winter term will be from January 27 to April 7th. Information and registration are available at hammondmuseum.org/kroll-ceramic-arts-school.
We invite beginners to come find the joy of pottery, and more experienced potters to come refine their craft, and now we’re also welcoming artists to explore handbuilding, sculpting, drawing and painting. Please come and enjoy the new Kroll Arts Center at the Hammond Museum …and be transformed and enriched through the shared experience of art - right here in your backyard!Lisa Kroll
As featured in the November/December 2024 issue of Bedford & New Canaan Magazine