Lexington, KY - When Link Henderson started taking clay classes at the Lexington Art League just over a decade ago, she didn't foresee that in 10-years time she would be administering one of the largest pottery studios and distribution centers for ceramic supplies in the state. What started as a creative outlet for the recent art school graduate soon became a teaching opportunity when her instructor, who was moving, mentioned she was looking for a replacement. Henderson took over that position, but ran into a wall when the art league needed to close the Loudoun House basement, where the classes were held, for renovations in 2001.
"They were putting everything into storage for their renovation, and I was like, 'I have 30 students, I need to find a space,'" Henderson remembers. It had occurred to her that it was something she could turn into a pretty good business. "I always wanted to own my own business, I just didn't know what I wanted to do (before then)."
Henderson found a 1,000 square foot studio on Saunier Avenue downtown, where she taught eight-week pottery courses and made and sold her own pots. As a new business owner with no partners and no business background to draw from, the first couple of years were trying -
the cash flow only came in once every two months, when new classes would start, and Henderson soon realized she was limited by the small space. At the same time, she was increasingly plagued by the lack of ceramic suppliers in the state, having to make regular trips to Cincinnati to get materials for the studio. The culmination of these factors led her to write a business plan, take out a small loan, and move to a new, larger location on Jefferson Street, where she could dabble in distributing supplies as well as nurture her budding art and teaching careers. While the business was steady and growing - during that time, she was able to hire Brandi West, who continues to manage the studio - Henderson knew in the back of her mind that her studio was not in its final resting place.
"Jefferson Street was nice, but it was a little more run-down back then," she said. "Not all the parents felt comfortable bringing their kids down there. It was a cool space, but it wasn't the right space."
In 2005, Henderson stumbled across a space for rent on National Avenue. At the time, the street didn't have the abundance of arts-oriented shops and studios that it does today, but having lived on nearby Aurora Avenue when she first moved to Lexington, Henderson was familiar with the special qualities of the Kenwick neighborhood. She called the property owner, Greg Walker, only to serendipitously discover that she had met him years before, when he and his wife were pottery students in her first studio in 2002.
Together, Henderson and Walker drew up potential plans for the 11,000 square foot space at 825 National Avenue, which included an inviting gallery and retail space to sell handmade ceramic items crafted by artists in the region, a large supply room where students can purchase their materials, a studio space that alternates class time with open studio time, a kiln area for electric and gas firing, a glaze formulation lab, a shipping and receiving area (Kentucky Mudworks now supplies schools, studios and individual artists around the region with ceramic materials - from clay and glaze to kilns and pottery wheels), and an office.
Soon enough, Kentucky Mudworks was settled into its new home, with room to spread out and grow - today, Kentucky Mudworks has four full-time employees, including Henderson, who still teaches one class (advanced wheelthrowing) but mostly stays busy with the administrative day-to-day operations of the retail side of the business.
The art of owning a business continues to be a learning process for Henderson, even as Kentucky Mudworks celebrated its 10th anniversary in July.
"Everything I've learned I've learned by screwing up, because there's no handbook," she said. "It's nuts, all the stuff you have to know."
The studio offers a variety of classes for kids, beginners and advanced potters alike. Adult classes are offered throughout the year, with kids' pottery camps offered in the summer.
As for the allure of getting your hands dirty at the pottery wheel? Henderson says most Kentucky Mudworks students are professional people (or empty nesters) who come to her studio to relax. Popular options for beginners include the "Try it! Wheelthrowing" class, which is $20 for two hours and offered a handful of times throughout the year, and "Date Night Wheelthrowing," where couples and singles are encouraged to bring snacks and beverages of their choice for a fun, laid back evening of learning to "throw" -
artisan jargon for forming clay on a potter's wheel. These options are enticing for folks who aren't sure if they want to commit to a six week course (and almost $200).
"Almost everyone finds that (throwing clay) is a lot harder than they thought it would be," Henderson said, "because potters make it look so easy, and clay is so malleable. It's just whether or not the challenge is exciting, or if they want it to be perfect and can't handle the mess."
The studio also offers courses in "handbuilding" -
sculpting without the wheel - but Henderson added that most potters find the act of throwing clay to be "a very zen thing."
"A lot of people will take the class, and after the first or second night, they'll say, 'Wow, I didn't think about anything but this, for two and half hours."
For more information about Kentucky Mudworks, including a full class schedule and information about the ceramic supplies sold at the shop, visit www.kentuckymudworks.com.
Empty Bowls Project
Chevy Chase pottery studio Kentucky Mudworks is now in its third year of participating in Empty Bowls, an international charity project with independently organized events in communities around North America. The project aims to bring artists and communities together to help feed the hungry, by collecting handmade pottery bowls to be sold at a community event (usually coinciding with a soup dinner of some sort), with proceeds going toward a local organization that helps feed the less fortunate.
Since 2009, Kentucky Mudworks has teamed up with Chevy Chase Cajun restaurant Bourbon n' Toulouse on an increasingly popular Empty Bowls event. For months in advance, the studio holds pottery sessions ("Bowl-a-thons" and "Glaze-a-thons"), donating all the clay and supplies needed for community members to create ceramic bowls. Kentucky Mudworks also accepts donated handmade bowls, delivering all of the vessels to the restaurant the morning of the event. That day, the public can come to the restaurant and purchase a bowl of their choice and fill it up with food for $10, taking the bowl home at the end of the day. Bourbon n' Toulouse donates all of the food (approximately 300 pounds worth), with all of the proceeds from the day benefitting Moveable Feast of Lexington.
"You give somebody an empty bowl, they give you money and they can fill it," Kentucky Mudworks owner Link Henderson explained. "It's really symbolic."
Bourbon n' Toulouse co-owner Will Pieratt says the event has been extremely successful in the past two years, with around 500 bowls sold throughout the day the first year and more than 600 last year before 5 p.m. This year, Kentucky Mudworks is aiming to collect 1,000 bowls for the event.
Pieratt said the success of the event reflects the Lexington community's zeal to contribute to local charity causes.
"Lexington is a great place for charity - people really get the lead out," he said. "People really care and really contribute, and it means a lot to us to be part of it."
Pieratt assures that the restaurant has figured out how to manage the flow, and the event is manageable and fun. Kentucky Mudworks will be accepting handmade pottery bowls of all kinds through Aug. 12.
For more information on the event or how to donate a bowl that you have made, call the studio at (859) 389-9861 or visit www.kentuckymudworks.com/ events.htm.
If you go:
Empty Bowls 2011
11 a.m Aug. 13
Bourbon-n-Toulouse
829 Euclid Ave.
Event will run until the bowls run out. Participants can purchase a handmade pottery bowl, of their choice, for $15, filled with Bourbon n' Toulouse grub. All proceeds benefit Moveable Feast of Lexington.