Hi! We are Luca and Zarina, and we are super into wheelthrowing. Combined, we have 11 years of pottery experience, and Luca teaches to kids in her spare time at home. Luca is an amazing teacher (she has taught me (Zarina) so much!) and has a ton of experience running a reclamation-based studio, where the clay is recycled, which is low cost and low waste. We are both STEM students and cannot take the necessary art classes to use the studio in Williams, which is restricted to art students.

We want to reopen the UVM Pottery Co-Op and create a Pottery club for UVM students like us- people who want to create art, learn an exciting new skill, and make connections with people who could teach them or collaborate in a community-based environment. As of now, the co-op is abandoned, and has been since the pandemic, but no concrete action or decisions have been made. The studio is empty, and many people need a place to express their creativity. 

We would also love to start an Empty Bowls charity event for UVM, which our high school and other colleges have done in the past. For the event, students and local ceramicists would make bowls throughout
the year and organize a community dinner with soup donations from local restaurants. Then, the community would be invited to purchase the bowls and enjoy the soups together, with all proceeds going
toward organizations fighting hunger worldwide. Our Empty Bowls event donated all earnings to Beyond Hunger, Housing Forward, and Global Alliance for Africa.

Every time we mention wheelthrowing or a pottery club, people want to be involved- either learning how to do pottery or enhance their existing skills. We are more than ready to spend our time helping the community, and to create an impact on campus to destress and collaborate.

Thank you so much for your time, and please sign our petition if you think this would be a positive addition to the UVM community!