Mediums Cross Disciplinary–we have had glass, fiber, music, printmaking, with the majority having worked in ceramics.
Number of ceramic artists The studio space is accessible to past and present residents, and those living and working in the home can range from two to eight people.
Clay We have earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, as well as wild clay which we process on site.
Primary forming method Slip casting is the most common method used in the studio.
Wishlist a spray booth or a programmable kiln
Studio
The Glastonbury Collective is a micro studio and art residency nestled in a historic stone home in Northwest Detroit. Blending art, ecology, and community care, we provide affordable communal living accommodations, access to various studio spaces, and an outdoor garden for diverse artists and creatives to explore, collaborate, and grow across disciplines.
Since its founding in 2012, the residential space has continually transformed based on the needs of the participants living and creating in the home. At any given moment, the attic may function as a print shop, painting studio, or yoga space. The sunroom hosts sewing, seed propagation, or serves as a quiet retreat for writing. Bedrooms have transformed into gallery spaces and music studios, while the basement houses a ceramics studio and small woodshop with shared work areas and equipment.
The ceramics studio is approximately 1300 square feet (120.7 m2). Being a basement studio, constrained by the historic home’s structure and space, we designed the studio to work within the rooms available. Clay processing takes place in a small, former coal chute, and kilns run alongside the washer/dryer in what was once a basement kitchen.
There are realities of the basement studio that present challenges, including low lighting and a cool, often damp environment year-round. Tying a studio practice to the home also introduces distractions and opens the space to multiple uses, drying racks for plaster molds and clothes, and working on projects with a house cat on your lap. We’ve added essentials such as additional shelving to accommodate storage for multiple artists and upgraded lighting for better working conditions. In any type of communal space you are navigating your relationship with others, so we have found it important to have a balance of private/personal and communal space in the ceramics studio.
While the in-home ceramics studio remains dedicated to residents, a key part of our expansion includes renovating the detached garage into a community studio. This new space, featuring more natural light and heated floors, will host workshops and provide access to artists and neighbors beyond the residence.
Practice
Detroit has a long legacy of designers, makers, and craftspeople shaped by its industrial history, a lineage reinforced by institutions such as Cranbrook Academy of Art and the College for Creative Studies. This legacy has directly influenced our studio practice, as many residents have worked within locally based industries, the largest being automotive.
We saw an influx of artists with a ceramics focus around 2017 that were drawn to the area due to Detroit’s automotive industry taking full-time positions as automotive clay sculptors. This is a unique role positioned between design and engineering in the product development process for creating new vehicle concepts in the industry. Clay sculptors are responsible for creating life-sized models of future vehicles based upon a steel chassis, foam base, and a shell of wax clay that can be molded to represent design intent. Experiencing a design at scale is an important part of the automotive design process, and clay as a medium allows for change, even play and experimentation in design, and is used as a form of verification between design and engineering to ensure accuracy prior to production.
This process is mimicked in our studio practice in fabricating prototypes of various functional wares and sculptural objects using a similar wax clay used by the automotive industry. Our studio has a large warmer oven traditionally used for keeping food warm, which heats this wax polymer medium to 150°F (65°C) making it warm and mailable. Once a prototype is made it can be used to make a plaster mold for slip casting, a popular technique seen in work coming out of our studio.
Community
The live-work model and flexible access to studio space provide its residents with a communal approach to creating and supporting the knowledge transfer of ideas and techniques. Residents shape the form the household takes to support their art practice and one another, prioritizing shared meals and shared responsibilities.
The Collective provides a low-cost and low-stakes entry into making, removing financial and institutional barriers for developing an individual art practice. The studio also serves as a third space for community focusing on art and ecology, opening the home to annual events like art sales featuring residents’ work, free programs, and workshops in the garden like a pit firing combined with our annual maple sap boil in March, transforming maple sap into syrup alongside wild clay into pots. We have hosted apple pressings in October, with fruit harvested from the neighborhood, community art workshops building clay wind chimes from wild clay, tiles imprinted with the flora and fauna of surrounding parks, and rain chain making with recycled materials. Everything we do is about grounding ourselves in the rhythms of the land, the joy of creative labor, and the power of building together.
A ritual we have started as a collective is to have weekly meals together. This provides an opportunity to connect, share any house or studio needs, and, of course, an outlet to complain about dishes. We start each meal with a reading, usually a poem, to set the table with a bit of intention. Sometimes we will initiate prompts to help frame a check in with each resident. A recent favorite being “high, low, buffalo,” where we go around and share the good, the difficult, and the unexpected events of our week. We’ve found a balanced approach to structure (like a chore wheel) where there are specific, set expectations (like feeding and caring for the chickens that week) balanced through an agreed understanding of generosity and support for one another (support during busy weeks or sharing what’s in the fridge). A system that relies on trust and reciprocity rather than scorekeeping.
Marketing
Promoting our events has always been about balancing personal connection with digital reach. One of our traditions is creating hand-illustrated posters, which we print at a local community print shop using a risograph. We prioritize getting these posters into the hands of our neighbors and share event information via our neighborhood association’s email blast to connect with the local community.
In addition, we hang at least 100 posters around town at coffee shops, art centers, and public spaces. To manage distribution effectively, we maintain a spreadsheet of locations and divide the task among participating artists. This grassroots approach has proven successful; we often hear from attendees that they discovered us through our posters, piquing their curiosity and drawing them in.
As a collective, our online presence is still evolving. Beyond seasonal newsletters, we primarily use Instagram to showcase our recent projects and upcoming events. This year, we took a significant step by launching a simple website that provides basic information and links to our newsletter and Instagram.
Overall, we’ve found that the best way to reach people is simply to talk to them. Engaging with those walking down the street, tapping into other artists’ networks, and inviting everyone we meet has proven invaluable. It’s these personal interactions that truly spark interest and draw people in, reinforcing the sense of community we hold dear.
Mind
We are fortunate to have a variety of opportunities to get into nature. A walk through one of Detroit’s large parks, romping around in the garden with chickens, or a retreat into the wilds of northern Michigan are some of the many ways we like to recharge. Being in a city, Detroit offers many arts and culture opportunities for members to find inspiration and community, including art museums and openings, classes and workshops, and live music. We also find it helpful to get out of your head and into your body through activities like rock climbing, a neighborhood soccer league, free yoga in the parks, or dancing at your favorite dive bar.
Glastonbury Collective’s Top Picks
Reading List:
Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown
Origin of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit by Thomas Sugrue
We understand your email address is private. You will receive emails and newsletters from Ceramic Arts Network. We will never share your information except as outlined in our privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Please enjoy this complimentary article for the month.
For unlimited access to Ceramics Monthly premium content, please subscribe.
We understand your email address is private. You will receive emails and newsletters from Ceramic Arts Network. We will never share your information except as outlined in our privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Subscribe to Ceramics Monthly
Just the Facts
Founded
2012
Mediums
Cross Disciplinary–we have had glass, fiber, music, printmaking, with the majority having worked in ceramics.
Number of ceramic artists
The studio space is accessible to past and present residents, and those living and working in the home can range from two to eight people.
Clay
We have earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, as well as wild clay which we process on site.
Primary forming method
Slip casting is the most common method used in the studio.
Wishlist
a spray booth or a programmable kiln
Studio
The Glastonbury Collective is a micro studio and art residency nestled in a historic stone home in Northwest Detroit. Blending art, ecology, and community care, we provide affordable communal living accommodations, access to various studio spaces, and an outdoor garden for diverse artists and creatives to explore, collaborate, and grow across disciplines.
Since its founding in 2012, the residential space has continually transformed based on the needs of the participants living and creating in the home. At any given moment, the attic may function as a print shop, painting studio, or yoga space. The sunroom hosts sewing, seed propagation, or serves as a quiet retreat for writing. Bedrooms have transformed into gallery spaces and music studios, while the basement houses a ceramics studio and small woodshop with shared work areas and equipment.
The ceramics studio is approximately 1300 square feet (120.7 m2). Being a basement studio, constrained by the historic home’s structure and space, we designed the studio to work within the rooms available. Clay processing takes place in a small, former coal chute, and kilns run alongside the washer/dryer in what was once a basement kitchen.
There are realities of the basement studio that present challenges, including low lighting and a cool, often damp environment year-round. Tying a studio practice to the home also introduces distractions and opens the space to multiple uses, drying racks for plaster molds and clothes, and working on projects with a house cat on your lap. We’ve added essentials such as additional shelving to accommodate storage for multiple artists and upgraded lighting for better working conditions. In any type of communal space you are navigating your relationship with others, so we have found it important to have a balance of private/personal and communal space in the ceramics studio.
While the in-home ceramics studio remains dedicated to residents, a key part of our expansion includes renovating the detached garage into a community studio. This new space, featuring more natural light and heated floors, will host workshops and provide access to artists and neighbors beyond the residence.
Practice
Detroit has a long legacy of designers, makers, and craftspeople shaped by its industrial history, a lineage reinforced by institutions such as Cranbrook Academy of Art and the College for Creative Studies. This legacy has directly influenced our studio practice, as many residents have worked within locally based industries, the largest being automotive.
We saw an influx of artists with a ceramics focus around 2017 that were drawn to the area due to Detroit’s automotive industry taking full-time positions as automotive clay sculptors. This is a unique role positioned between design and engineering in the product development process for creating new vehicle concepts in the industry. Clay sculptors are responsible for creating life-sized models of future vehicles based upon a steel chassis, foam base, and a shell of wax clay that can be molded to represent design intent. Experiencing a design at scale is an important part of the automotive design process, and clay as a medium allows for change, even play and experimentation in design, and is used as a form of verification between design and engineering to ensure accuracy prior to production.
This process is mimicked in our studio practice in fabricating prototypes of various functional wares and sculptural objects using a similar wax clay used by the automotive industry. Our studio has a large warmer oven traditionally used for keeping food warm, which heats this wax polymer medium to 150°F (65°C) making it warm and mailable. Once a prototype is made it can be used to make a plaster mold for slip casting, a popular technique seen in work coming out of our studio.
Community
The live-work model and flexible access to studio space provide its residents with a communal approach to creating and supporting the knowledge transfer of ideas and techniques. Residents shape the form the household takes to support their art practice and one another, prioritizing shared meals and shared responsibilities.
The Collective provides a low-cost and low-stakes entry into making, removing financial and institutional barriers for developing an individual art practice. The studio also serves as a third space for community focusing on art and ecology, opening the home to annual events like art sales featuring residents’ work, free programs, and workshops in the garden like a pit firing combined with our annual maple sap boil in March, transforming maple sap into syrup alongside wild clay into pots. We have hosted apple pressings in October, with fruit harvested from the neighborhood, community art workshops building clay wind chimes from wild clay, tiles imprinted with the flora and fauna of surrounding parks, and rain chain making with recycled materials. Everything we do is about grounding ourselves in the rhythms of the land, the joy of creative labor, and the power of building together.
A ritual we have started as a collective is to have weekly meals together. This provides an opportunity to connect, share any house or studio needs, and, of course, an outlet to complain about dishes. We start each meal with a reading, usually a poem, to set the table with a bit of intention. Sometimes we will initiate prompts to help frame a check in with each resident. A recent favorite being “high, low, buffalo,” where we go around and share the good, the difficult, and the unexpected events of our week. We’ve found a balanced approach to structure (like a chore wheel) where there are specific, set expectations (like feeding and caring for the chickens that week) balanced through an agreed understanding of generosity and support for one another (support during busy weeks or sharing what’s in the fridge). A system that relies on trust and reciprocity rather than scorekeeping.
Marketing
Promoting our events has always been about balancing personal connection with digital reach. One of our traditions is creating hand-illustrated posters, which we print at a local community print shop using a risograph. We prioritize getting these posters into the hands of our neighbors and share event information via our neighborhood association’s email blast to connect with the local community.
In addition, we hang at least 100 posters around town at coffee shops, art centers, and public spaces. To manage distribution effectively, we maintain a spreadsheet of locations and divide the task among participating artists. This grassroots approach has proven successful; we often hear from attendees that they discovered us through our posters, piquing their curiosity and drawing them in.
As a collective, our online presence is still evolving. Beyond seasonal newsletters, we primarily use Instagram to showcase our recent projects and upcoming events. This year, we took a significant step by launching a simple website that provides basic information and links to our newsletter and Instagram.
Overall, we’ve found that the best way to reach people is simply to talk to them. Engaging with those walking down the street, tapping into other artists’ networks, and inviting everyone we meet has proven invaluable. It’s these personal interactions that truly spark interest and draw people in, reinforcing the sense of community we hold dear.
Mind
We are fortunate to have a variety of opportunities to get into nature. A walk through one of Detroit’s large parks, romping around in the garden with chickens, or a retreat into the wilds of northern Michigan are some of the many ways we like to recharge. Being in a city, Detroit offers many arts and culture opportunities for members to find inspiration and community, including art museums and openings, classes and workshops, and live music. We also find it helpful to get out of your head and into your body through activities like rock climbing, a neighborhood soccer league, free yoga in the parks, or dancing at your favorite dive bar.
Glastonbury Collective’s Top Picks
Reading List:
Podcast List:
www.glastonburycollective.com
Instagram: @theglastonburycollective
March 2026: Table of Contents
Must-Reads from Ceramics Monthly
Unfamiliar with any terms in this article? Browse our glossary of pottery terms!
Click the cover image to return to the Table of Contents