Notices by Pottery by Osa (potterybyosa@mastodon.social)

It took me 2 months to complete this vase, which I made to honor the power & purpose of hurricanes. We made it through 3 strong storms last year. Milton caused a spiritual & mental shift moving me to “let go of that which no longer served me.” (That included Instagram, btw!) There is more to hurricanes than destruction & despair. They move nutrients from sea to land and renew ecosystems. I used #GulfCoast clays from LA, FL & AL to decorate the surface. #pottery #clay #hurricane #transformation

Using this #SilentSunday post to encourage people to look up the closest #LGBTQ #nonprofit to you and donate and/or volunteer. Even the smallest donation amount helps when combined with everyone else’s. Governments and corporations are becoming more conservative, but nonprofit #communityorganizations are still free to honor their missions to support vulnerable populations.

I threw a few #garden ollas on the #pottery wheel yesterday and can’t wait to make more. I feel inspired by this #ancient irrigation method that is still so relevant and useful today.

As a species, humans have been so extremely creative and innovative. I still hold out hope that we can create solutions to all of our social and #environmental problems through applying combinations of #ancientwisdom and #globaltechnologies. This is why #indigenoussovereignty is so important to our future.

I moved to #Florida in 2020 and have witnessed many of the policies put into action on a state level that Trump is now making national. While public institutions have become more conservative, #nonprofits have increased their presence to remedy some of the bigotry + oppression. I volunteer at a very well-funded #LGBTQ youth center and at a Black school that teaches kids the truth of their history. #DEI still exists in the nonprofit realm. Donate & volunteer. https://omny.fm/shows/inside-florida-politics/trumps-make-america-florida-agenda

I’m experimenting with olla #gardening. I’ve filled a low-fired (porous) pot that I made with water and buried it in the soil with my seedlings. This pot wasn’t made specifically to be an olla, but any porous pot should work. Ollas slowly release water into dry soil, and roots pull it in through osmosis.

Olla gardening conserves water, reduces irrigation frequency, promotes deep root growth, and supports #sustainable, low-maintenance plant care.

#plants #pottery #ancientwisdom #alttext

If you speak #Deutsch or #日本語 I need your help. I’m trying to make my website more internationally accessible. I’ve begun by adding German and Japanese translations and I would like your feedback on the quality of translation and how it looks on your end. As I understand it, you’ll only be able to see these translated pages in Germany or Japan, so if you speak these languages in the US, you can’t help with this task. Thank you! https://www.potterybyosa.com

Was given this helpful #artbiz advice years ago, and want to pass it on: Your email list should be your primary #marketing tool. Do not rely on any 3rd party platform (including this one) to connect you with people who are interested in your work.

Growing my email list is what gave me the freedom to move away from IG. Email subscribers are 100x more engaged than social media scrollers. They don't mind reading paragraphs and are way more likely to make a purchase. Think #qualitynotquantity

Trying to migrate my whole #Nigerian family from #WhatsApp to #Signal 😅 Digital communication has been a godsend for Nigeria. I grew up with my aunties having to buy a calling card, find a call center, place a call with horrible connection. My parents had to yell to be heard and there was always a delay. Now we can talk, text, video call with ease. These tech advancements have been like magic. Migrating to #NonCorporate apps is the final puzzle piece.

Today, we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and share the history of the udu, a Nigerian clay drum, with local youth. Hands-on clay activity and live musical performance for Freedom School families and the greater community in Sarasota, Florida. Sponsored by http://kaaboclay.org

#mlk #clay #kidsart #music #africandrum #nigeria #music #blackmastodon #kaaboclay

My last #selfie for the algorithm before I deleted IG last weekend. Goodbye after 12 yrs + 50k followers 👋🏾 I couldn’t have done it if I hadn’t gained some traction here, so thank you for following.

I grew up in #punkrock and #anarchist organizing, so moving to #NonCorporate and #decentralized social media feels full circle. I want my #pottery to be part of a future of thought that represents progress and liberation.

#punk #clay #ceramics #nonhierarchical #art #blackmastodon #africanart

I just purchased a #SiddiQuilt for our bed and it’s probably one of the most joyful objects I’ve ever owned. Siddis are Indians of African origin. Some arrived as merchants and explorers, others arrived as slaves. #quilts #quilting #craft #art #india #colors #joy

https://30stades.com/art-culture/anitha-n-reddy-art-historian-reviving-siddi-quilts-kavands-culture

Every #potter, every #craftsperson, is a #culturalpreservationist. When I took my first pottery class 12 years ago, I had no idea what I was participating in, how ancient and huge it was.

A South African potter named #JabulileNala taught me how to coil build. She comes from a long line of #Zulu potters with a tradition extending back at least 2,000 years.

Biseat Yakwal took this #filmphoto of me teaching a coil building workshop in Gainesville, FL in 2023.

#fundraiser for Los Angeles, Gaza: I started this donation page for #worldcentralkitchen a year ago to support efforts to feed displaced Palestinians. Since then, I saw WCK offer support in my own state and along Helene’s path after a devastating hurricane season, and now we’re seeing them support first responders and residents in So Cal.

Donations of $25 are automatically entered into a raffle to win this piece of pottery I made. More info: https://donate.wck.org/fundraiser/5347508

#lafires #gaza #mutualaid

2024 was the year I finally started turning all of my little samples of wild clay into terra sigillata. Each of these vases was painted with different types of clay that I collected from all over the country—shades of tan, yellow, brick red and brown. These pieces express my gratitude to God, the land and the ancestors.

#pottery #ceramics #africanart #studiopotter #earthtones #floridaartist #wildclay

I’m so sad I’m not going to be able to see this exhibition in person, but I do appreciate the digital exhibition provided by the museum.

Calida Rawles envisions water as a space for Black healing and reimagines the African American community beyond the stories we already know as a part of the United States’ collective history. https://www.pamm.org/en/exhibition/calida-rawles-away-with-the-tides/

#CalidaRawles #art #artbasel #miami #water #blackart #perezmuseum

Coil building with micaceous clay, which is clay that has metallic flecks of mica in it. Feels great to work with and has special properties. #clay #pottery #handbuilding #coilbuilding

Rhythms of Clay: Celebrating Dr. MLK and teaching local youth the history of African ceramics. Sponsored by https://www.kaaboclay.org

Wow, thank you to all of my new followers and special thanks to @kenSwinson for the warm welcome to Mastodon. I built up over 50k followers on Instagram over the course of a decade and have become disgruntled that I can’t access those users due to the algorithm. I’m ready for the future of decentralized platforms. I hope more artists and craftspeople join us here. I also use #Cara.

Some of my favorite pieces from the last batch of pottery I made before the end of the year. Some still available at http://www.potterybyosa.com
#pottery #ceramics #culture #africanart

I was really proud of this jug when it came out of the kiln. This was from my last batch of pottery of 2024. This piece already sold but I do have other pieces left from that batch as well as some info about the thoughts & processes behind the pottery: http://www.potterybyosa.com