Meet Nancy Utterback of NU Pottery in Erie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Utterback.

Nancy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a self-taught potter. In 1975, without experience or education, I opened my own studio. I dug my own clay, built my own wheel and kiln and learned to make my own materials for glazes. When I say I am self-taught, I mean, I knew nothing about working in clay when I decided to become a potter. I had never met a potter. Although I saw photos in books, I had never seen a hand-thrown pot until after I had been working in clay for several years. I learned by taking out books from the library, reading the encyclopedia and, most of all, by going to the studio every day without fail and doing work. The clay became my teacher. The clay taught me to throw on the wheel, to fire and to glaze. Clay taught me never to give up, to be patient, to live in the moment and to believe in myself. I learned that while it is important to be strong, force is never the answer. Working in clay taught me to be a compassionate teacher, to never stop learning and to share everything I know.

Even before I knew much about clay, I started teaching; as I gained more experience and a reputation as a potter, I started teaching at other pottery programs and schools. I was invited to give workshops around the country and to speak at conferences. I found myself writing articles and being published. I started selling my work at small craft shows; I joined art cooperatives and participated in American Craft wholesale shows. This led me to showing and selling my work in galleries around the country. I started showing my work at my own studio and built a following. My work has found its way into the hands of collectors, art appreciators and people who want to experience the simple joy of using a handmade piece of pottery.

My love for teaching took me to the Pottery Lab in Boulder, where I taught for many years. I became the director in 2001 and retired in 2015. Running a Pottery program brought new opportunities. I started to research best practices for potters; I built an anagama kiln and did a three-year research project on wood kiln emissions, published the results and presented the information at conferences. This leads me to research ways potters can reduce their carbon footprint, reuse and recycle as much as possible and when necessary, dispose of waste responsibly.

While working 40 hours a week, I maintained my own studio and continued to sell and show my work, which often meant working 8 hours at the Pottery Lab and 6-8 hours a day in my own studio. I was lucky to have found multiple ways to explore clay. Working in the studio, teaching and serving my community gave me the opportunity to experience a life filled with challenges and satisfaction. From the beginning, working in clay showed me that my life was neither my past nor my future; it was a way to find happiness in being present in each and every moment. Today I am the president of the East Side Art Institute, a non-profit building an art center in Boulder County, another chance to serve the art community. Every day I begin with studio work and every night, I end the day thankful I am a potter.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life is always filled with obstacles, real and imagined and struggles that test you. When I started out, I knew nothing about clay. I was so uninformed; I didn’t even know that Universities taught ceramics. I thought I was on my own, reinventing the process of working in clay. Looking back, I realize how much I struggled. I worked 12 hours a day and I had nothing concrete to show for it. I worked long hours and had little or no money coming in. It often felt like I was going nowhere.

The interesting thing is I never considered giving up. Although I was exhausted, truly chronically tired, I was happy and I was learning and nothing else mattered. The struggle was in the not knowing. Could I become a potter, could I learn enough, could I find my way? I was never sure where I would end up. It took years before I was certain that being a potter was not just what I wanted to be, but what I was.

My biggest struggle is one that took decades to resolve. As I began to meet other people working in clay, I realized they all had gone to school. They had their MFAs and networks of people to rely on. I questioned my abilities and my knowledge. My low self-esteem made it hard for me to make the progress I needed to make. My perseverance and determination kept me going but I often felt inadequate.

When I applied to the American Craft shows I had no confidence that I would be accepted so I applied for four shows hoping to get into one. When I was accepted into all four shows, I was happy but overwhelmed and terrified. I worked for six months preparing work for the Baltimore show, the first in the series.

My friend who had done a couple of American Craft shows, explained that I only needed to take samples and the gallery owners would order pieces to be shipped at a later date. I do salt firing and no two pieces are alike, I am not a production potter. I do work in a series but even in the series, no two pieces are alike. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to explain that there would be variation in the work that the gallery would receive. As the show grew closer, I had more and more doubts about my work and about me.

After driving for more than 40 hours across the country in February, I arrived in Baltimore and was shown to my booth. I had brought a small table, a tablecloth and my best 24 pieces. My friend had told me to show my pieces as a series. I had decided to show them as my Journal series and my Dream series. My tablecloth was a bit wrinkled but I set up my pots and finally took a moment to look around. The other booths had amazing displays, lights, curtains and fancy pedestals. I was in shock, if I had been filled with doubt before, now I was filled with the feeling that I had completely failed before I started. I was almost in tears by the time they opened the door. The first person to make her way to my booth could see I was about to crumble. She cheerfully asked if this was my first time at the show. I nodded and she started to look at the work, she smiled and asked for a price list, I didn’t have one, she asked for a card, I didn’t have one and then she jumped into action.

She told me to write down my information and make a quick price list, she sent her assistant to go make copies that I could give out to gallery owners. She showed me how to write out an order and started asking about the work. I explained that each piece was unique; while they were similar, I couldn’t and didn’t want to make exact replicas. And then the moment I had been dreading came, she asked where I had studied and whom I had worked with. In my tiniest voice, I said I was completely self-taught. I hadn’t gone to school or worked with anyone. I looked up and there were hundreds of buyers making their way toward us.

All of a sudden, her assistant was back; they put the price lists out and she started telling people how fresh and new my work was. She explained that each piece was unique and that I was amazing. She told everyone I was completely self-taught. The booth was filled with people wanting to order my work. I learned that the woman who had saved the day was Sylvia Ullman who owned the American Craft Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio. She had me tell the gallery owners that it would take about 12 pieces to make a good showing of my work and the orders started flying in. By the end of the day, I had taken thousands of dollars in orders and I was saying with pride that I was self-taught.

In that single day, I made a life long friend and found my voice. I was no longer embarrassed or ashamed of how I had learned. I realized for the first time that I was a potter and where my education was different from the traditional path, it wasn’t less. My insecurity melted away. I was finally able to see myself as a working clay artist. I was a potter, finding my way with a rich past and a bright future.

We’d love to hear more about NU Pottery.
I am a studio potter. I make functional and sculptural work for wholesale and retail. I have a showroom and am open for business a couple of days a week or by appointment. I have two open studio and sale days each year. I also show my work in other galleries and shows periodically.

I am well known for my salt and wood-fired work. I am considered an expert in firing practices. I am also known as a teacher, many students seek me out for information and guidance before, during and after they have gotten their MFA. I give workshops and lectures at Universities and Ceramic Centers.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I don’t have a single moment in my career that stands out as the one that has made me most proud. I am proud that I am a working artist and I have always been able to maintain my studio and work in my field. I am proud that I have made a difference in the lives of at least a few students.

Contact Info:

• Website: nancyutterback.com
• Phone: 3038283220
• Email: utterbackn@mac.com
• Instagram: utterback.nancy.com
• Facebook: Nancy Utterback

Image Credit:
All my photos were taken by my husband Larry B. Utterback.

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