Down the street from Your Dekalb Farmers Market and Avondale Estates stands none other than MudFire Studio and Gallery, which has maintained its commitment to supporting the local potter and ceramic community for almost 25 years.
Originally founded in 2005 inside a Brookhaven strip mall, the maker space offers studio and kiln access for artists who work with clay.
Creating a Sense of Community
Daphne Dail, the owner of MudFire Studio alongside her partner Deklan Ranlett, shared: “Pottery is magic because it is an antidote to what we are all experiencing right now: being trapped inside of our phones and living in a very thinking, scrolling way. Pottery requires you to turn that part of yourself off and be present with the clay.”
Although Dail and Dex both have ceramic degrees, Dail has shared that there is something more powerful about working together than working individually in their home studios. This team effort, which they aim to replicate within Mudfire’s business model, is important for bringing diversity and inclusion into a safe space where everyone can not just gather but create.
The Complexity of Claywork
Unlike their paper or canvas-based counterparts, working with clay-based mediums comes with a certain set of challenges. Not only does wheel-throwing require a great deal of space and tools, but it also requires wheels and kilns to finish any ceramic creations. Most artists do not have large, well-suited enough spaces for a full ceramics studio. The large price tags for kilns and other equipment also present barriers for hobbyists.
However, this is where Mudfire Studio comes in. Offering numerous tables for hand-building and wheels for throwing, they possess six eclectic kilns: two for bisque firing, three for glaze firing, and one for those that require special firings. They also have a gas bailey car kiln, a soda kiln, and a raku firing kiln. They plan to acquire an additional tenth kiln at a cost of about $8,000 in 2025.
Beyond space and equipment, Mudfire also offers 60+ glazes, rollers, underglazes, and a variety of hand tools for artists to use. The primary goal of all of this is to make ceramics accessible to all, even those who lack the resources to practice at home.
Over 250 members use Mudfire’s facilities, and 20 resident artists share a separate studio behind the main space. They offer about 18 classes and 57 hours of studio time per week, which allows local ceramicists and potters to take advantage of their sources.
Mudfire’s Annual Holiday Sale
Starting from the weekend after Thanksgiving through the first half of December, Mudfire sold resident artists’ handmade goods in their refurbished gallery space.
“A lot of potters fall in love with making handmade functional work, and hands down, our best sellers are mugs,” Dail was quoted as saying. “People love mugs.”
For many artists, Mudfire’s Holiday sale was one of their first ventures into selling their goods to the public. It also introduced shoppers to the concept of buying handmade items that were created by local artists rather than shopping at larger box stores.
“We are so disconnected from so many things in our daily lives. We don’t know where they are coming from, so when you have a mug that you use every day, and you know the maker and how they made the piece, there’s something magical there,” Dail stated.
Those who made their way to Mudfire Studio and Gallery during their Holiday Sale found a catalyst to try ceramics and pottery as a maker themselves.
If you’re in the market for gifts, you can visit Mudfire’s website to find out more about their hours and operations.
