Guilds, Grants, and Getting it Done - Day 1: New Outdoor Sign for the Potters and Weavers

In 2012 the Hill Potters' applied for a grant from the Mayor's Endowment Fund for the Arts to create a new outdoor sign for our guild and for the Burr House Spinners and Weavers' Guild.

Our guild sign until June 23rd, 2013.

We share the same facilities and so we share the sign. Over the past 10 months we researched our project and then created a new one piece marine plywood sign (8' x 4') with metal edging and extra bracing across the back to help protect it from warping in our severe climate.

I couldn't wait to take the first letter off the old sign. They were all re-used on the new sign.

This blank sign hung out in my studio for the fall and winter months and then the spring. The weather was very uncooperative and we needed a certain temperature maintained at night as we are working on the sign outside under my market canopy.

Guild President Kathy Ver Beek taking everything off the old sign and handing it to Bev Turnball. I made them promise the letters would not break at this late date. And so it was.

current state of the old sign

Our current old sign with three ceramic objects still attached. One cause it's wired in with very thick wire and Kathy couldn't get it loose. and the others cause there are active wasp nests in behind them.

wasp nest up inside the kitty

Juggling schedules, weather and people, we started work on the sign this past Sunday, in the record heat and humidity. 39C so far for every day we have been out there working on the sign. Thankfully we have not had to deal with a downpour.

hammer, towel and something to break. what fun!

While Kathy and Bev took the ceramics off the sign, other members smashed the ceramics that were donated to us in our fall Smash and Grab event. These shards will make their way into two mosaics on our new sign.

shards were separated by colour or pattern

new marine plywood sign with old sign's lettering and member-made ceramics to show what we do at the guild

At the end of our first day we had completed disassembling the old sign, smashing all the ceramics and had created the barebones layout of the new sign. We agreed to meet back Monday morning to continue the work.

until tomorrow.