(In an extensive interview with Mr. Gosar, the editor discovered that this poem was originally written as a plea for potters’ stickers to be more legible. During the same interview, the editor attempted to ascertain the actual identity of "Terry" who apparently took stickers home in his or her collar. This attempt was in vain.)

6:30 pm: OPA Business Meeting. The usual announcements and business. Bring items for the swap table, announcements and snacks to share. To be on the agenda, call Sandy Brown, 503-552-8695

7pm: Program. This Program will be by Natalie Warrens, the First Place Award Winner at Showcase. She will show a video tape of the wood fired kiln in which the winning piece was fired, and she will demonstrate her techniques for making her lovely slab-built work.

NEXT BOARD MEETING: PLEASE NOTICE THAT THIS DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED! Wednesday, August 15th at Sandy Brown’s, 2386 NW Glisan St #4 in Portland. This is a large, grayish house on the corner of NW 24th & Glisan. Come around to the side of the house to the brown wooden porch, ring doorbell #4. To be on the agenda or if you have questions, call Sandy at 503-552-8695. The last two board meetings of this year will be Oct 1 @ Laurie Childers’ and Dec 3 @ Julie Asbury’s.

NEXT NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: August 15th. Please write information down and mail it to Janet Buskirk, 3624 SE Yamhill, Portland OR 97214.

JUSTICE CENTER WINDOW DISPLAY: If you ceramic pieces you would like displayed in the Justice Center Windows contact James DeRosso at 503-232-6816. The windows are in downtown Portland on SW Madison near 2nd. Larger pieces show well, and there is great visibility in this space.

PERMANENT COLLECTION UPDATE: Contemporary Crafts Gallery has at last officially agreed to take the OPA Collection. An OPA Committee will meet with them to go over the terms and conditions of this acquisition. We are hoping to turn over the collection by the first of August, but before we hand it to them we need to FIND THE SLIDES & PHOTOS OF THE PIECES IN THE COLLECTION! Do you have any of them? If so, please mail them to Sandy Brown, 2386 NW Glisan #4, Portland OR 97210. If we do not find the slides, we will have to pay to have them re-photographed. We will be storing them in a safety deposit box from now on.

"2002 will be the 20th Showcase and I think that this deserves celebration! Some ideas for your consideration are:

1. Some sort of commemorative brochure outlining OPA/Showcase history, including photos, quotes, printed record of the Permanent Collection, anecdotes, etc. Your contribution could make this happen! Perhaps we could establish a committee and the chair could earn (ta da!) points (Note: If you know where the old photos of the Permanent Collection are, we would love to know. They’ve "gone missing," could they be in that old Seagram’s box in your basement?).

2. Special 20th anniversary awards for personal achievement, involvement, embarrassments and all.

3. Big party after Showcase?! Music at Showcase on Friday nights has evolved into a rather subdued event ("by popular demand"?). How about really rocking the Convention Center after the show Friday night? Not in the show itself, but in the next room where the box storage was this year.

4. We are seeking recommendations for the music at Showcase 2002 and for the party afterwards. Music samples and/or videotapes will be necessary for decision making.

"There are several Committee Chair positions that will be opening for 2002. If you are interested in chairing a committee, please call Nancy Hart, the 2002 Committee Placement Chair (503-292-2165)

"Please address all correspondence for the Steering Committee to: Mark Heimann, 22009 S Lost Mountain Rd, Estacada OR 97023, markmann@teleport.com, 503-631-8686, fax 503-631-8683.

"Thanks in advance for your help, ideas and suggestions. It’s your Showcase- it works so well because of your efforts."

-Mark Heimann, 2002 Showcase Chair

FROM THE PUBLICITY COMMITTEE: Thanks to this year’s Publicity Committee for their exceptional work! Also, Linda Haworth (Publicity Chair) appreciated the positive comments shared with her at the show.

PUBLICITY CO-CHAIR POSITION OPEN: See information later in this section.

PHOTOS FOR SHOWCASE 2002: Please submit any portraits of yourself working in the studio (action shots!) as soon as possible. These are needed in Dec/Jan for layout of next year’s campaign. Hints: eliminate as much clutter as possible or have an arrangement behind you showing your finished work, get great lighting (especially on your face), remember that high contrast is necessary for poor quality newsprint, and...smile! Submit these photos/slides and any others of interest to Linda Haworth, 128 E Main St, Hillsboro OR 97123

MISSING RING: Lost in packing materials in a box of pots being sent to Showcase from the Real Mother Goose Gallery was a ring with a large river rock set in silver. Please call Denise at the Goose (503-223-9510) or Janet Buskirk (503-231-2810)

MISSING RADIO: This year Showcase rented several two-way radios in order to communicate more effectively. After the show ended, one of the radios was missing. We are being charged $675 for this loss. Does anyone know anything about the missing radio? Please call Margie (503-235-0586) or Sumi (360-693-6422)

MISSING CHAIRS: Two of our rented chairs were missing at the end of the show. Do you have an unfamiliar chair lurking in your studio or home? If not, we will have to pay for them. Call Doug Hively with clues. 503-838-6751

MISSING PEDESTAL: One pedestal, octagonal, black/gray marbled look, about 3-1/2 ft tall by 16" wide. If you know where it is, please call Skye, Skye@teleport.com, 541-265-6540 (at Newport Visual Art Center)

FOUND AT SHOWCASE: Nice wire cutters & wire, if yours call Cynthia 541-753-4606

SHOWCASE GALLERY AWARDS: The Best of Show Award went to Natalie Warrens with 42 votes. Next were:

2nd place: Rebecca Urlacher

3rd: Babette Harvey

4th: Hsin-Yi Huang

5th: Donna Cole

6th: Tie: Wally Schwab

Dennis Meiners

7th: Deb Shapiro

8th: Ros Samnang

9th: Tie: Thomas Rohr

Barb Campbell

NEXT STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING: Wednesday June 27, 6:30pm at Margie Adams, 4011 SE Taggart, Portland

WHOLESALING WORK: Are you interested in wholesaling your work? Cynthia Spencer is continuing an effort to drum up some exposure to our work at Showcase, to the people who want to "discover" us. Please call her if you are interested- even if you are just beginning to ponder this for your work. 541-753-4606

FROM WORKSHIFT COMMITTEE: Thank you to all for making it happen! We would like to offer a special thanks to those who volunteered. These kind souls include Kristin Weigert-Yount, Donna Lynn Larkin, Erin Piccolo, Theresa Larsen, Richard Moody, Bentley Morelli, Nick Jankovik & Charlie Morgan

JOB OPENINGS FOR SHOWCASE 2002: The following Chair positions are available. If you are a chair whose 3 year term has expired and you wish to continue, you must re-submit an application. Please send your name, phone number, years of involvement in OPA, your reasons for applying, qualifications and experience on this or similar committees. Send this in writing to Nancy Hart, 6161 SW Salmon, Portland OR 97221 by Aug 1, 2001 to be reviewed by the Steering Committee.

Gallery Registrar: Sends out information to Gallery-only participants. Supervises check-in process of gallery pieces during Showcase. Supervises the ‘extra’ pieces and their replacement in the gallery. This job is good for out-of-towners. You must be present Wednesday & Thursday before Showcase & throughout the show.

Group Booth: Supervise the set up & tear down of the group booth. Schedule workshifts to cover the group booth. Must be present Wednesday to set up & Sunday to tear down and to supervise throughout the show. Good for out of towners.

Holding Table: Set up & tear down the holding table. Must be present Wednesday to set up & Sunday to tear down. Must be present throughout the show to supervise & train work shift people. Good for out of towner.

Points: This position is on the Steering Committee & must attend monthly meetings. Also this position consults the board and should attend some board meetings. This position keeps track of everyone’s points & submits a report to the Building Chair in late December or early January. This person is also required to attend a mailing meeting in late January to send everyone’s booth & committee assignments to them. Computer skills & access are a must.

Publicity Co-Chair: This is a great opportunity to learn the fine art of PR! You need to be a self-starter & familiar with OPA & Showcase. Learn to use Macintosh G4 tower, Epson scanning, HP color printer & Adobe Printshop on OPA computer. Meet lots of new people. Two years as co-chair with Linda Haworth, then take over as Publicity Chair. Excellent 12 point position. Long standing system already in place, just learn the ropes and polishing touches. Job requirements: Good people skills while orchestrating a committee of 24 OPA members and representing the group to the community at large, grace under fire of deadlines and quirky personalities, ability and time to attend monthly Showcase Steering Committee meetings. This work is done year round.

Sales Treasurer/Credit Cards: This position oversees all of the credit card transactions. Experience in credit card sales necessary.

Sales Co-Chair: This position is on the Steering Committee & takes turns with other Co-Chair (Dan Sheridan) attending the monthly meetings. Must be available Wednesday to set up the sales area & Sunday to break down the area. Supervise the running of sales area & must be available during the entire show. Co-ordinate with the Building Committee to determine the set up area.

Wrapping Co-Chair: Co-ordinates with the Sales Committee to set up the wrapping stations. Order supplies. Must be available Wednesday, Sunday evening & during the entire show. Supervise the work shift people in wrapping (returning Co-Chair is Chris Nielson)

PRICE LABELS THE STICKER PICKERS WILL LOVE: "I’ve been doing computer-generated price stickers since my first Showcase, six years ago. Ellen Currans has asked me to write up a tutorial on how to generate easy, legible, removable stickers. I’ve been doing mine on page layout software (Pagemaker 4.0), but with a little care you can use any word processor. Here is how to do them in MS Word:

"Start with the right stickers: Avery White Removable Multi-Purpose Labels (item #6460). The package says they’re made for laser printers, but they also do work for inkjet.

"In your word document, choose wide (MAC) or panorama (PC) under Page Setup. Under Format:Document, make the top & bottom margins .25", and left & right .5". Ignore any warnings when closing the box, this will print just fine. Go to Format:Columns and ask for 10 columns, with the spacing between them set at 0. In Format:Paragraph set line spacing at exactly 16.25 points.

"Choose Centered Type icon from the tool bar. Pick a nice legible font. Type your name in 9 point regular. Hit return. Type the price in 18 point bold. Hit return twice. Highlight and Copy these 3 lines, then Paste them 11 more times. This should exactly fill the column. Copy the entire column and Paste into the other 9 columns. (Note: I usually have a variety of different prices in the first column- I highlight and retype, which then become rows of each price after the copy & paste).

"Save the document. Print onto your label stock. Each row of labels will print as a column, vertically, with 4 price tags per letter-sized label. Take a ruler & exacto knife & cut cross-ways to separate your price tags.

"Change your prices? Duplicate or Open a Copy of your document, highlight & change whatever prices you want, and print another page. You may only ever have to set up the format once..." -Frank Gosar

(Editor’s note: I use a the Tools:Envelopes & Labels format in word. It is already formatted for the avery labels. I just print my name on the sticker and hand-write the price very legibly)

THE MONEY: We made a whopping $495,651! $421,074 has been paid to potters. The gross receipts for potters (including gallery-only participants) were:

45 $1-900

42 $900-2000

40 $2000-4000

25 $4000-6000

10 $6000-8000

6 $8000-10,000

2 $10,000 +

Of 67 gallery-only participants, 27 sold pots for a gross total of $7780 (40 sold no pots)

Sales totals by day were: Friday: $235,803

Saturday: $185,308 Sunday: $74,540

Friday & Saturday were noticeably higher than the last two years, while Sunday was actually quite a bit lower (maybe because many people were out of pots...)

The sales workers did a great job. They stayed late, got chewed out if they arrived late, but they made very few errors. Of 121 sales shifts, 84 had zero errors. Our total accounting error is $590 in losses (this is very, very low). The busiest sales shifts were Friday 10-1, Friday 1-4, and Saturday 1-4, with each of these shifts selling over 2500 pots. The average pot sold cost over $25 and over 19,000 people came to the show.

EXTRA SPACE IN EXHIBIT HALL NEXT DOOR: That extra space where we placed the sales tables was a last-minute gift to us. We may never be so lucky again, but we may be able to purchase that space next year.

Directions: From Hwy 126 (W 11th Ave in Eugene) turn right (north) on Territorial Rd through Elmira, then left on Demming. Bear left at the ‘Y’ intersection onto W Demming, then left again at the hilltop onto Valley Vista. Karen’s is on the left side of Valley Vista Way.

From Hwy 99W take Clear Lake Rd west past Fern Ridge Reservoir, then turn left on Territorial. Turn right onto Lamb, then sharp left onto W Demming at the stop sign. Turn left again at the hilltop onto Valley Vista, then look for Karen’s on the left. Lost? Call for directions, 541-935-0714

All participants are welcome to SUBMIT PHOTOS FOR PUBLICITY. They must receive them by June 25th to consider them for the postcard, but images submitted later could still be useful for newspaper publicity or the poster. Please send to Rebecca Urlacher, 1448 Adelman Loop, Eugene OR 97402 or Frank Gosar, 3200 River Rd, Eugene OR 97404. They accept color or b/w prints, slides, photos on CD, zip disks (Mac or PC format), scanned photos as either TIFF or High-Resolution JPEG.

For all other information, contact ClayFest Chair, Don Clarke, 541-683-6330, ddclarke@efn.org

Empty Bowls in Portland will be July 4-8 (Wed-Sun) at the Waterfront Park Blues Festival. Set up will be July 3. We still need more bowls, and remember that we accept any kind of pieces... sculptural, functional, large, small. We also need more volunteers to sign up for workshifts during the event. It’s always fun to sell bowls to benefit hungry people while listening to great Blues music! Sell bowls on the 4th and have front-row seats for the fireworks! If you donate work and time, you may also sell your own work during the last couple of days, giving the FoodBank a low 25% commission.

Thanks to Georgie’s and Mount Hood Community College for their Throw-A-Thons, billions of bowls were made and it was fun.

If you want to volunteer or donate work, call Tony Hackenbruck (503-235-4417) or Jeanne Charles (503-233-2317). You may drop off bowls at Georgie’s in Portland, at any Oregon Food Bank location, at Jeanne’s home (3624 SE Yamhill St, Portland), at Jan Edwards’ home (2650 SW Custer, Portland), or bring them directly to the Blues Festival (our booth is on Front Ave one block south of the Hawthorne Bridge. If you are quick, you can drive up and unload really fast.

CALL FOR ARTISTS: 2002 Niche Awards, February 2002, Sept 1 deadline, open to artists who produce work for craft galleries & retail stores, juried from slides. Contact Professional Niche Awards, 3000 Chestnut Ave #304, Baltimore MD 21211, niche01@rosengrp.com, include name, address & phone

CALL FOR ARTISTS: Sidney Myer Fund International Ceramics Award, March 1-April 28, 2002, Sept 1 deadline, juried from slides, no entry fee, contact Shepparton Art Gallery, Locked Bag 1000, Shepparton, Victoria 3632, Australia, email artgal@shepparton.vic.gov.au

CALL FOR ARTISTS: The Hand Held Cup Show, Nov 8-Dec 14, deadline Aug 31, 2 slides, send SASE to Odyssey Gallery, 242 Clingman Ave, Asheville NC 28801, www.highwaterclays.com

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Organization Project & Technical Assistance grants, deadline 8-27, Individual Project grants, deadline 9-17. Informational grant orientation sessions in July. Regional Art & Culture Council, 503-823-5111, info@racc.org, http://www.racc.org

AWARD PLAQUES WANTED: Skutt Kiln company needs 30 ceramic "award plaques" to give to their top suppliers. They need to include the Skutt logo. If you are selected to make them, you get a free new kiln. Call Mike Sievers, 503-774-6000

JOB AVAILABLE: Ceramics/Art Department Aide, part time during 9-month academic year, 19 hrs/wk, $10.33/hr, no benefits. Experience w/ ceramics, clay, mixing glazes, firing gas & electric kilns. Order supplies, maintain equipment. Open until filled. Resumes may be faxed to 503-722-5880, emailed to mollief@clackamas.cc.or.us, or mailed to Clackamas Community College Art Dept, 19600 S Molalla Ave, Oregon City OR 97045

Laguna Borate, $31

Imco, $51

BoraQ, $59.50

Dal Frit, $63

Fusion Frit, $98

Ferro Frit, $159

Georgies also carries Gerstley Borate and a selection of substitutes. We all need to be testing them, even though we can for the moment get our old, weird, friend, Gerstley Borate

WASHINGTON CERAMICS SHOWCASE is the name of the Washington Potters Association’s annual sale. They tried it on the same weekend as Showcase at the Washington State Convention Center. No word yet on how it went.

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF CRAFTS: The results of the CODA (Craft Organization Directors Association) survey have been announced. Crafts contribute $13.8 billion to the US economy, ahead of organic foods ($4 billion) and just smaller than the floral market. This large impact should help our industry to be taken seriously, as well as help craftspeople apply for business loans, etc. The median income for households where 50% or more income was derived from selling crafts was $50,000, with 64% of respondents working alone and 80% from home-based studios. This survey found only the income in this industry that is derived from the sale of actual crafts, this does not include economic impact of materials, equipment, education centers, museums, craft shows, publications, etc. Thus the actual industry contributes more than these figures show. Crafts Report magazine will have a summary of the results on their website, www.craftsreport.com. CODA is selling copies of the 70 pages of actual results for $50 (PO Box 59, Onia AR 72663, lvt.coda@mvtel.net).

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY is looking for volunteers to make or help them make presentations for their "National Chemistry Week," November 4-10. The purpose is to enhance public awareness of the importance of chemistry in our daily lives. This year’s theme is Chemistry & Art. Contact Lumas Helaire, lumas.helaire@nike.com, or Martha Dibblee, mddibblee@earthlink.com, 503-775-3843

HEALTH INSURANCE is the topic of an article in the July Crafts Report. It has a list of organizations which offer health insurance to their members, as well as a list of other resources. Among them are the Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center, www.actorsfund.org/actors/ahirc, 800-798-8447, and a book called Health Insurance- A Guide for Artists, Consultants, Entrepreneurs, & other Self-Employed" by Lenore Janecek, ACA books.

NEW LEAD LAWS: There is a new law requiring businesses which use over 100 lbs of lead per year to report to the EPA. My understanding is that this law applies to businesses with 10 or more employees, so probably few studio potters will be affected. It appears that use of over 100 lbs/year, storing 100 or more lbs, or accidentally releasing 100 lbs would require reporting. The EPA originally requested that this law apply to businesses using 10 lbs of lead per year, and they may yet lobby for the amount to be lowered. If this happens, some of you lead-using potters may have to begin reporting.

KILN ELEMENTS: A company in Milwaukie, Oregon is making kiln elements which fit Skutt, Amaco and Excel kilns. They can make elements for other kilns as well, but would need specifications for the kiln. www.kilnelements.com, 503-794-9855. They say their prices are competitive.

POSTCARD PRINTING: Do you need to have color postcards printed? Many of us use Modern Postcard, 800-959-8365, modernpostcard.com. In addition to printing your cards, they will now also mail them. Their prices are competitive. I also just received an ad from Dos Rhinos Photographic, rhinomiester@foxinternet.net, 800-470-3774 in Federal Way. They say their prices are competitive.

RADON: Do you work in a basement studio? We have all probably heard about the Portland School which closed suddenly due to Radon gas in their buildings. I recently bought a radon test kit from my local hardware store ($19.99). There was a tiny, very below average, reading. The kit I used was from Pro-Lab, 800-427-0550. They also sell carbon monoxide detectors, lead surface test kits, and various other pesky problem test kits. Their brochure says that our state radon agencies are: Oregon, 503-731-4014; Washington, 360-236-3221

NAIA SURVEY: The National Association of Independent Artists’ 2000 Survey was interesting. 43% of respondents were 45-52 years old, 31% were 53-60. 27% grossed $45,000-70,000 (the largest number of people in any income category), but about the same number of people seemed to net $25,000-45,000. 76% of respondents derive 75% or more income from the sale of art. 82% invest for retirement, with many of those people saying their investment amount is "whatever is left over." 87% have health insurance, 56% have business insurance, 11% have disability insurance, 91% own a computer, 47% have a business website (88% of them derive less than 10% of their income from their website), 58% do 7-18 art fairs per year.

OTHER ARTS ORGANIZATIONS: Often, people contact us asking about other groups in the area. Here are a few of the ones with whom we exchange newsletters:

-Regional Arts & Culture Council, 620 SW Main St, suite 420, Portland OR 97205, 503-823-5111, www.racc.org

-Oregon Arts Commission, 775 Summer St NE, suite 350, Salem OR 97301, 503-986-0082, http://art.econ.state.or.us

-NCECA, PO Box 777, Erie, CO 80516, 866-CONCECA

-Association of Clay & Glass Artists of California, 839 Cole St, San Francisco CA 94117, 415-566-0340, www.acga.net

-Oregon Glass Artists (Newsletter address), 814 Lorane Hwy, Eugene OR 97405, 541-343-3234, gkjaer@pond.net

-Potters Guild of British Columbia, 1359 Cartwright St, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R7 Canada, 604-669-5645 lrichard@sfu.ca, 604-921-9888

-Clayfolk, PO Box 274, Talent OR 97540

-Washington Potters Association, PO Box 84255, Seattle WA 98124. pottery.com/wpa (I think)

-Local Clay (President’s address) 25672 Gap, Brownsville OR 97327

WINTERFAIRE: Nov 16-18, booths $50-100, $15 app fee, juried from slides or actual work, deadline Aug 17, 360-696-8478, maya.jones@ci.vancouver.wa.us, Vancouver WA

LIVE! ON THIRD STREET: Sept 14-16. Exhibit work either in a local business or in a gallery show, 20% commission, AAYC, PO Box 898, McMinnville OR 97128, 503-474-4463

NCECA CONFERENCE: Next year NCECA will be March 13-16 in Kansas City, MO. In 2003 it will be March 12-15 in San Diego

JAN EDWARDS: "Claywork- A Painterly Approach" Aug 12-18. JANET BUSKIRK: "Clay", Aug 5-11. Both at Creative Arts Community at Menucha, price includes dorm housing & meals, $555 per week, 503-281-2204, bgconyne@pacifier.com

WORKSHOPS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES: Denys James runs a series of workshops in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico (Nov 29-Dec 14); Oaxaca, Mexico (Jan 17-Feb 5, 2002); Turkey (Sept 17-Oct 4); & Adobe Clay in N Washington near the Canadian border (June 24-30). 250-537-4906, denys_james@hotmail.com, www.denysjames.com

GEOFFERY WHEELER, from Minnesota, at Lewis & Clark College Sept 8, 10-4, in conjunction with his show at Fifth Element Gallery (404 NW 10th) in Sept. He will explore the sensual quality of color & form on his luscious thrown porcelain. No price listed. See article in Jan 2001 Ceramics Monthly. Contact Ted Vogel at 503-768-7398 (Ted may be out of town for the next couple of months, so it may take time to return your call. -ed)

POSSIBLE UPCOMING WORKSHOPS: IAN CURRIE in September, STEVEN BRANFMAN, raku, mid October, RICHARD NOTKIN in November. Check your future newsletters or call OPA Workshop chair, Lisa Clapp, 503-755-1810

JAN EDWARDS, "Decorative Techniques for Soft & Leather Hard Clay" June 30-July 1, Sat-Sun, 10-4, Club Mud at Maude Kerns Art Center in Eugene. Bring lunch & 6-10 small leatherhard pieces/tiles to decorate. $20 for OPA, Club Mud & Local Clay members, $40 non-members. Mail checks to Rhoda Fleischman, 25672 Gap Rd, Brownsville OR 97327.

TED VOGEL just opened a one-man show at the University of Indiana, Southeast for June & July

MARY LOU ZEEK just opened a new gallery featuring contemporary crafts at 335 State St in Salem. She carries a variety of clay, sculpture, glass, jewelry, painting, etc.

DAVE & BONI DEAL are having a show at Earthworks Gallery in LaConner, WA, June 15-July 10. Also a 30th anniversary show at Real Mother Goose opens Aug 2 & runs through Sept.

REBECCA URLACHER had an article in the book Barrel, Pit and Saggar Firing (published by Ceramics Monthly) as well as one of her pieces featured on the cover.

PAT STRAUSS: Due to a divorce, Pat has moved to Bellingham, WA, which is outside of the OPA membership area. She would love to stay in touch with her OPA friends, and extends her gratitude for the great support and friendship from OPA. Her new address is 4380 6th St, Bellingham, WA 98226, 360-527-1872. From Pat: "Dear OPA Members: It is with warmth and gratitude that I look back on the 12 years as a member of OPA, constantly encouraged & stimulated by the wonderful camaraderie & professionalism of our fine organization.

"During the recent move of my Aurora studio to my new home in Bellingham, the outpouring of help that was given was remarkable. Heartfelt thanks to Audrey Graham, who opened her home to me, as well as giving days of hard work. Kay Irish, Victoria Shaw, Natalie Warrens, Jeanne Charles, Katy McFadden & son Paul Benecki all cheerfully packed with expertise. Thank you all, I am grateful beyond words.

"Bellingham is a beautiful university town in Puget Sound with a lively interest in the arts. I have many family members here & am looking forward to participating in a county-wide studio tour in November. My garage will soon be remodeled into a studio.

"My new home is always open to visiting OPA members." -Pat Morse (formerly Strauss)

NATALIE WARRENS is having a show at Attic Gallery, 206 SW 1st in Portland, opening July 5th, 6-9pm, through July 28. She is also in the Oregon College of Art & Craft Biennial, 8245 SW Barnes Rd in Portland, opens July 12th, 4-7pm, through Sept 9.

DAN SCHMITT was one of 87 clay artists in USA Clay at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, March 9-July 15. He will also be a featured artist at Contemporary Crafts in Portland, show opens Aug 9.

JAN RENTENAAR has a piece in The North American Bonsai Competition. She is a finalist in the ‘non-traditional’ category, and her work can be viewed on the National Bonsai Museum’s website (hers is the 2nd slide- they are not identified because the judging is anonymous)

VICTORIA CHRISTEN had a show at Fifth Element Gallery, 404 NW 10th in Portland in May

JOHN BENNETT was featured in a May Ceramics Monthly article

CHRIS KIENLE is showing at Graystone Gallery, 3279 SE Hawthorne in Portland, June 24-July 29.

MEMBERSHIP IN OPA is open to any serious studio potter currently living in Oregon or SW Washington. There is no jurying for membership, which is $40 per calendar year. Membership is pro-rated, it is Jan-Dec calendar year, although you many join at any time. Membership benefits include 6 newsletters per year, 6 meetings per year, and the opportunity to apply for Ceramic Showcase. If you live over 100 miles from Portland and do not plan to use other membership benefits you may subscribe to the newsletter only for $10 per year. Send your name, address, email, phone number(s) & check to Mary Orcutt, 131 Schilling Rd, Lyle WA 98635

FOR SALE: Oak dining table, 2 leaves, 4 chairs. 44" octagon, extends to 68", like new, $165, Margie or Jim, 503-235-0586 (Portland)

FOR SALE: Bluebird Claymixer, mixes 150 lbs wet, 3 phase motor which can be converted to single phase by exchanging the motor. $100, Dan 541-607-3055 (Eugene)

FOR RENT: Apartment & studio, in park like setting on Sauvie Island, 25 minutes from Portland, $600/mo + utilities, W&D included, Shirley, 503-621-3770.

EZ UP CANOPIES: 8x8’ EZ Ups with a roof are on sale at Harbor Freight stores for $120 (normally $140)

June 27: Showcase Steering Committee Meeting

July 4-8: Portland Empty Bowls

July 13: OPA Meeting

Aug 15: OPA Board Meeting

Aug 15: Newsletter Deadline

Sept 6: Local Clay Meeting/Potluck