Help Bring Wood-Fire Ceramics to LGBTQIA Artists

Portland-based ceramic artists Alex Slydel and Twig Cosby need your help to fund a Wood-Fire Ceramics Experience for LGBTQIA+ Artists.

UPDATE: New goal includes the 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction fee charged for using GoFundMe as a platform.

Information from the fundraisers:

What is the event?

Twig Cosby and I are Portland-based potters who frequent East Creek Art, a ceramics hideaway in the woods of Willamina, Oregon where two wood kilns are roaring from October to May.

This year, the two of us are teaming up with East Creek to host the first LGBTQIA+-led firing of their wood-soda catenary arch kiln, nicknamed the Chicken Cat. We are inviting both new and seasoned artists to have a hands-on wood-firing experience with us, entirely for free.

In early May, Twig and I will teach two preliminary workshops to reach queer artists in the Portland Metro Area who do not have access to wood-firing. The workshops will culminate in a 3-day firing of the Chicken Cat on the weekend of May 19th, where we will be joined by an additional crew of experienced LGBTQIA+ wood-fire potters and volunteers. Playing off of the name of the kiln, we are naming this event “Queer Cat 2023”.

Why is it important?

The field of ceramics has a reputation for being difficult to break into due to the specialized tools and facilities required. Wood firing is typically even less accessible due to its incredibly high cost, the nationwide scarcity of wood kilns, and its history of being a sexist, male-dominated, disproportionately white field in the United States.

Queer Cat 2023 aims to challenge this history by promoting the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people at wood kilns. By designating this space for queer artists, we will increase access to wood-firing, open leadership opportunities for LGBTQIA+ people, and foster an inclusive environment to empower queer artists. In addition, we are focusing on outreach specifically to QTBIPOC who are especially underrepresented in woodfire spaces.

To align with our vision of accessibility, we are working to make workshop participation and space in the kiln to be entirely free to all participants – which is why we need your help!

Where are we at and what help do we need?

So far Twig and I have raised 70% of our budget through grant awards from RACC, OAC, and in-kind donations. We have enough to cover the cost of firing the Chicken Cat, have secured overnight accommodations for our entire crew at East Creek, and have made some headway in funding our workshops.

But, we still need additional support.

The remaining funds that we seek will contribute towards our firing lead stipends ($500 for each of us), travel, the remaining cost of renting space for our workshops, and the transaction fees associated with GoFundMe.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are participating in the workshops and/or the firing, please refrain from making donations, but feel free to share GoFundMe far and wide. We want to stay true to keeping this experience free for participants.