Nick's News

An Case for Print Media in the Studio

Hello Friends,

Many of the people choosing to spend their time at Nick’s are relatively new to ceramics. We are so excited about the process of discovery happening for so many people here at the studio! On this topic, I (Dini) wanted to jump in this month and offer something personal regarding the changing landscape of learning a new material and why I believe it is so important to learn from print media.

When I first started working with clay 12 years ago I was an undergraduate sculpture student at Pratt Institute. Something unique about beginning my ceramics journey at this time was that instagram was just starting to catch on. Then limited to square photos, my posts documented my earliest projects as well as my process (with some added insufferable filters). In that way, my Instagram has always served as a bit of an archive of my practice. 

Another key element of learning about ceramics at this time was that my main educational resources were print media. As soon as I started working with clay I had a million questions. I was driving my teachers crazy because I wanted really specific answers and with clay the answer is almost always, “It depends.” Over time I came to terms with how nuanced the material can be and I started to love the challenges it presented. I also began to look at the endless stacks of books around the studio for inspiration and technical information. 

Probably in an effort to reduce the number of questions I was asking, I was given a copy of “Cushing’s Handbook” purchased directly from Val Cushing’s wife who was reproducing it herself at the time. It became a sacred text to me. The ceramics department had many other classics including publications by John Britt and Bernard Leach, most of the books were written by men but regardless, reading through these books I began to envision myself as a fellow ceramicist. 

I also started to find old catalogues from ceramics shows at museums and in galleries. I remember being glued to a copy of Betty Woodman’s catalogue from her 1996 exhibition at Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum and Ken Price's Happy’s Curios at LACMA. The print media I was consuming at the time shaped me, in a way by chance because what I was looking at was just what happened to be around. 

These days we have endless resources available at our fingertips. We can find just about any technique we are interested in reduced to a thirty second or one minute video. We also have digital databases that are more in depth like Glazy and Ceramic Arts Network. I would never doubt the usefulness and practicality of having this much information available, it is truly a luxury. However, I do long for my books and catalogues in the ceramics department for reasons that go beyond nostalgia. From my experience scrolling through endless feeds of clay videos I have noticed that even after seeing videos that are helpful or impressive, it can be hard to recall the details of these images and videos without literally going back to the content itself. I also find that if I open social media to look back at something I was inspired by, I often get distracted and end up looking at something else. My attention online is very divided. In contrast, I can recall some of the images from my college books as if they are permanently burned into my memory in detail. I can also look back and see notes I made scribbled in the corners. Fleeting thoughts I can trace back like time capsules.

By talking with friends and studio mates about this I know that my experience is a common one. A recent study from University of Valencia demonstrates that reading comprehension is significantly lower in digital media than in print. Surprisingly this even extends to informational resources such as Wikipedia. Christine Vargas, a professor from UV summarizes that comprehension was close to six to eight times higher over a ten hour period in print than digital according to the study.

This had me thinking, how is the digital landscape forming the students and learners at the studio? I can't help but wonder if it is even more difficult to find a voice of your own and a clear path of discovery in this vast climate of information. Looking back I am actually grateful for the limitations of influences in my early studio practice. 

Although not everyone has access to institutional learning, many of the resources we used in school are readily available in local libraries. At Nick’s we have a small library of ceramics books that we hope to grow over the years. If you haven't seen it before, it's upstairs. This library is important to us because it contains some of the vital influences on our own work. We hope that you will take a look some time and even make recommendations of books we should add. We also recently started to compile our “Clay Codex” binder which offers some great handouts and information in print form (some created by our teacher Aidan Flynn!). You can find it on the glazing table. We have some new digital resources available too! Vannesa just added a Resources Page to our website. Maybe you can print some of them out at the library a few blocks away and read them somewhere tranquil.

With Love,

Dini

Summer Camp 2026 

Did you know Nick’s offers camps for kids? This year we will be spending 5 exciting weeks in the studio exploring clay on and off of the wheel as well as other mediums including painting and drawing. Our program connects the dots between art history, science, meditation, and clay. Our exceptional teaching artists are experienced educators who bring their own professional artistic practices into every lesson. Each week has a unique theme.

We cap registration at just 9 participants per week, ensuring meaningful engagement for each child.

Individual week registration is available.

Adult Classes

It’s your last chance to register for our upcoming session starting February 15th! Sign up now before they fill up. We still have space in the following classes:

Sunday - 6 Week Intermediate Wheel : Repetition and Multiples with Hazel Many (starting 2/15)

Thursday - 6 Week Beginner Wheelthrowing with Emma McMullan (starting 2/19)

Monday - 8 Week Beginner Wheelthrowing with Mariano Menses (starting 3/02)

Tuesday - 8 Week Handbuilding 101 with Sarah Phenix (starting 3/03)