New Pottery class at Brooksby taking shape

By Robert Doherty
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Brooksby has over 100 clubs and classes, everything from the garden club to a barbershop singing group. So it’s no surprise that pottery is now on the list.

‘Off and running’
"My wife was at a Christmas party and got to talking with a person who works at Brooksby. They said Brooksby needed a pottery teacher. I called Mary Landry, worked out the details, and we’re off and running," says Larry Elardo, who teaches the class.

"My background has always been in fine arts. About four years ago a friend of mine was taking pottery and thought I might be interested in it as well. The next thing I knew, I was teaching pottery at Essex Arts Center in Lawrence."

Different techniques
In the class, which meets once a week, students learn different techniques for making pots. "The first week we did a pinch pot which is oldest method for making pottery known to man. You take a lump of clay and keep pinching it until you have a bowl," says Larry.

One of those people participating in the class is Evelyn Frankel, who moved to Brooksby nearly six years ago. "I like Larry. I’ve been doing pottery for the last 25 years and I’ve had lessons before. He’s the best teacher I’ve ever had," says Evelyn. "He doesn’t just tell you what to do, he shows you."

More experienced
As the class has gotten more and more experienced, they’ve begun to make more challenging pots. "We’ve been doing things with textures. We’re making vases, candle lanterns, trays, pitchers, those sorts of things," adds Larry.