A casual experience of perusing pottery and ceramics while enjoying live music, food and wine is returning to Edenvale Winery in Medford with the Clayfolk group. 

The potters and ceramic artisans will be set up outdoors and around the winery’s Voorhies Mansion, offering attendees an opportunity to enjoy the picturesque vineyards and potentially find their newest favorite coffee mug, vase or bowl.  

“There are so many good reasons to come to the show,” said Sandie Alison, promotions chairperson for Clayfolk and an avid potter herself. “Everyone’s walking around and everyone has a story to tell.” 

This year marks the fourth Clayfolk Spring Show + Sale, and more than 40 pottery and ceramic creatives will showcase a wide range of pieces. 

The show is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 17, at Edenvale Winery, 2310 Voorhies Road, Medford.

It is free to attend and wine, food and pottery will be available to purchase throughout the show.  

Each of the Clayfolk members displaying their art for sale brings different flavors, styles and techniques to their work, showcasing a story of trial-and-error, heritage or other factors. 

“My grandpa was a stonemason from Italy and I used to follow him around in our hometown, and there was something about that that translated to me working with clay and earth,” said Ashley Ambrosio, a ceramic artisan with Clayfolk. 

Ambrosio’s work blends form with function and she utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach as an artisan and teacher with techniques such as marbling, texture, sgraffito engraving and wood firing.

“I am still definitely on the beginner side of pottery,” Ambrosio said. 

Michael Campbell has been working with clay and other materials for most of his life, utilizing his deep well of experience to push boundaries as a potter. 

“I do sawdust firing, I do a little bit of Raku — I do a little bit of everything,” Campbell said. “I’m letting myself go crazy; I don’t have any borders with this.”

For Alison, her work incorporates her Sicilian family ancestry and world travels. 

“I do what I love and put my Sicilian culture on my pottery and love each piece,” Alison said. “The thing about Sicily is it was conquered by Greeks and Arabs and Vikings, so when you go to Sicily, it doesn’t just look like something in Milan or Rome.”

“Through my pottery, I’m sharing my culture,” Alison added. 

Clayfolk was established in 1976 as a group of Southern Oregon-based potters shared their experiences over potluck dinners. 

The organization has continued to grow over the years with events, education programs and regular meetings and currently has approximately 160 members ranging from pottery hobbyists to professionals. 

The organization works to connect artisans across the region and is well loved by the claywork community for sharing pottery tips and techniques. 

“If it wasn’t for this clay community, I don’t think I would be here,” Alison said. “Doing pottery for me is so much more than creating a piece, it’s bouncing ideas off people and learning.”

“They’re just so welcoming and generous with their time and knowledge and experience, it never felt like ‘you’re not one of us,’” Ambrosio said. 

To learn more about Clayfolk, the potters and ceramic artisans, or for information about how to join the organization, visit clayfolk.org.

Reach reporter James Sloan at james.sloan@rv-times.com.