Editor's Note: A Lot to Learn Holly Goring

Appears in the Sept/Oct 2020 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated.

This year has tested us in so many ways; emotionally, financially, and morally. It has tested our trust in the cornerstones of society, while simultaneously reinforcing our dependence on community. In America, we are at an inflection point in our evolution. How we move forward and where we need to end up are questions being asked of all us. Under the threat of a health pandemic, we find ourselves challenged by our country’s troubled history and our complicity in systemic racism. How we react to this current climate, while important, is not nearly as important as how we act. Malcolm Gladwell wrote in his book, The Tipping Point, “Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push—in just the right place—it can be tipped.” The convergence of these challenges is our call to action, a call to be part of a movement.

The mission of Pottery Making Illustrated has always been to provide ceramic education and inspiration to active potters and ceramic artists worldwide, as well as to those who are interested in finding out more about this craft. To this mission, I would add that it is our responsibility to provide ceramic-focused content by everyone and for everyone.

At Pottery Making Illustrated, we commit to fostering an actively anti-racist publication. We are mapping out a plan of clear and actionable steps to make sure that we are using our platform to share the talents of underrepresented people, people of color, and artists from a diverse set of demographic backgrounds, regions, and countries who have a variety of approaches to clay. While we don’t often know the background or race of an author, we are aware that not knowing is essentially a non-act—a colorblindness that harms people and makes us complicit with a system of inequities we don’t agree with. We have a lot to learn.

We commit to expanding our pool of contributors who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Inclusivity, visibility, and representation of BIPOC artists’ ideas, processes, and artwork in this magazine not only celebrate individual artists’ achievements, but also give everyone in our field access to more diverse perspectives, more inspiration, and a wider peer network. 

As always, if you or someone you know would like to contribute to the magazine, we encourage your submissions and proposals. To learn more about submitting, please send your article ideas to editorial@potterymaking.org. I look forward to working with new artists, learning more about our diverse field, and sharing the voices of underrepresented groups and individuals in the future pages of Pottery Making Illustrated.