For the host potters who open their studios for the annual Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail, the most rewarding aspect isn’t just discussing the artistry required to create ceramics — it’s fostering human connection.
The Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail, a self-guided tour of eight local studios in Hampshire and Franklin counties, returns for its 22nd year on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can purchase handmade ceramics and speak directly with the artists about their craft.
This year’s host potters are Donna McGee of Hadley; Florence residents Tiffany Hilton, James Guggina and Steve Théberge; Lucy Fagella of Greenfield; and Shelburne Falls residents Molly Cantor, Mary Barringer and Steven Earp.
“We don’t know why, but there are so many good potters in western Massachusetts,” McGee said. “It’s just amazing.”
Each of the host potters will also bring additional potters as guest artists, including Glen Deiter of Manchester, Connecticut, and Shachi Shah of San Diego, California, who each received an Early Career Fellowship for BIPOC Ceramic Artists this year.
All told, the trail will feature 31 artists across eight studios. Hilton noted that between 500 and 1,000 visitors are expected to attend, representing both the local community and out-of-state travelers.
“There’s always some new artists to see and explore,” said Hilton, who has been part of the festival for 21 years. “And it makes it exciting for us as well to have different guests from all over the country. It feels like a celebration. … It’s got its own momentum, and we all have a hand in helping it grow every single year.”
Visitors are also encouraged to pick up a Pottery Trail Passport at their first studio stop. Every studio features a unique stamp; those who collect all eight will be entered to win a handmade cup or mug created by one of this year’s participating artists.
Cantor, who crafts functional pottery featuring blockprint-style images of local flora and fauna, said in an email, “Knowing I’ll participate in the trail each year inspires me to develop new, better work for my customers. I love the interaction with the people who appreciate my work, and I’ve especially loved it when people have come to me to show me art they created that was inspired by something I made.”
Several of the potters who spoke with the Gazette echoed a sense of appreciation for the Trail’s ability to foster connections, both with guests and fellow artists. Hilton pointed out that pottery itself is “not a solo endeavor” and that potters are “very community-minded people.” As she put it: “We need communities to fill our kilns and fire our big kilns and help each other out.”
In an email, Earp said that after 22 years, the Trail “almost feels like a family reunion of sorts” and that his fellow Pottery Trail artists are “not just really solid potters, but exemplary human beings.”
“I hope and expect visitors to once again [come] away from the Trail with a renewed sense of community, of connection to each other. As we face unprecedented challenges moving forward, this sense of connection will be one of our strongest, and most needed, assets,” he said.
Hilton spoke fondly of a mug she owned, created by Guggina. When she drinks from it, she said, “I feel that human connection to the person who created it, and it makes me feel less alone in my day.”
“To me, [handmade] pots don’t lose that human connection — very different from picking out a five-dollar mug at Target,” she said.
McGee loves the repeat visitors she welcomes every year; during the Pottery Trail, her studio is “filled with pots and camaraderie and good food.” One year, she recalled, a student saw her sketchbooks lined up and asked to look inside them. While McGee didn’t consider it a major event, the student was genuinely thrilled to glimpse the artist’s creative process. Another visitor told McGee that by opening her studio, she had invited them into “the sanctum sanctorum”—a sacred place.
Hilton, too, loves meeting her visitors and demonstrating her techniques, such as using pinstripe brushes — typically used on cars — within her work.
“When you shop online or you shop in a gallery, you don’t get that connection to the process and the artist and get all your questions answered,” she said. Visiting a studio instead is “a real opportunity to connect with the maker and find out more — find out the inspiration and the process behind a piece.”
Admission is free. For more information about participating studios or a map of the Pottery Trail, visit asparagusvalleypotterytrail.com.
