POTTSTOWN PA – A fund-raising “Love Your Mug Sale” of handmade mugs, the proceeds of which benefit a local group that “provides ceramic art access and education to adults with intellectual disabilities,” is scheduled for Feb. 17 (2024; Saturday) at The Beekeeper’s Café, 939 E. Schuylkill Rd.
The mugs have been donated by local potters as a show of support for Inclusive Clay, a Pottstown-based organization formed in 2023 by ceramic artist Kristin Bispels. She and others teach their adult students how to work with clay, and help them “explore their creativity, learn new skills, and connect with others,” according to its website.
The café is located in the Highlander shopping plaza, at the corner of East Schuylkill Road and Keim Street in Kenilworth. It serves farm-direct, specialty-grade coffee beverages brewed with freshly roasted-to-order products from Roasted Pearl Coffee in Phoenixville. It also sells baked pastries and other “treats” from local providers.
Inclusive Clay representatives and artists will meet café guests during the Feb. 17 event, as they stop in to enjoy “a delicious beverage and treat,” and take a look at the unique and decorative mugs available for purchase. The Beekeeper’s Café is open for dine-in and carryout orders Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
“Bring your mug (face), enjoy a mug-full from The Beekeeper’s Café, and take home a mug from a talented potter,” Inclusive Clay said on its Facebook page. “We are building community one pot at a time!”
Classes with Inclusive Clay
As word has spread about Inclusive Clay, its website notes, “there is an increasing interest in our community for accessible ceramic art classes.” They are an extension of what it describes as “as a response to our firsthand experiences with the challenges and limited opportunities faced by individuals with disabilities.”
A class that began Jan. 11 at ArtFusion 19464 is filled, and continues through Feb. 29. Already scheduled, however, is an 8-week spring session of two-hour classes that run from March 14 to May 2, also at ArtFusion 19464. Prospective candidates for it are now being accepted on a waiting list.
During the coming classes, Inclusive Clay reports, those who attend “will hand-build pottery of their choice using a variety of techniques including slab building, coiling, and pinching pots.” They also will “explore surface treatments and decoration during the session, and pottery will be glazed and fired to completion.”
Participants must meet program requirements. Additionally, a support person must attend, and stay with, the participant for the duration of the class time.
For more information, contact Inclusive Clay by e-mail using the contact form on its website or at hello@inclusiveclay.org.
Top photo by Lindsey Elsey on Unsplash, used by Travels With The Post under license
Photo at The Beekeeper’s Café by Travels With The Post
Graphic from The Beekeeper’s Café Facebook page
- Feb. 17 Saturday, “Love Your Mug Sale,” 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., free, sale of handmade ceramic mugs to benefit Inclusive Clay, a Pottstown-based non-profit that teaches ceramic arts to to adults with intellectual disabilities; at The Beekeeper’s Café, 939 E. Schuylkill Rd., Kenilworth PA (North Coventry Township)
