....In the fall of 2001, Dawn moved her studio from her native California to Ashfield, Massachusetts, a small community nestled among the Berkshire Mountains of New England. Her studio space was once the apothecary of Doc Fessenden, Ashfield's town doctor in the 1800's and her husband's great grandfather. As a functional potter, Dawn makes stoneware meant to be used and passed on for generations to come. Her colors reflect what she admires in nature, the earthy browns of garden soil, the subtle greens of wintery hemlock and the tranquil blues of Ashfield Lake.

....Claydance offers a complete line of functional ware including bowls, pitchers, dinnerware, casserole dishes, platters, mugs, teapots, vases, pie dishes and covered dishes, all of designs that are as pleasing to see and hold, as they are to use. Dawn hand throws each piece on a potter's wheel and individually decorates her work with a technique called slip trailing. The slip she uses is made from the slurry left from the throwing process which, after straining, is applied to each piece with a baby's ear syringe.

....Claydance pottery is made from high fire stoneware, which assures its strength and durability. All pottery is food, dishwasher, oven and microwave safe. Claydance offers a full-line of functional ware including bowls, pitchers, dinnerware, casserole dishes, platters, mugs, teapots, vases, pie dishes and covered dishes, all with designs that are as pleasing to see and hold as they are to use. 

 ......

Where are we?

.....Claydance Pottery is located at 395 Main Street in Ashfield MA. Come by and browse our studio store where you'll find lots of interesting items not featured in our standard retail line. While you are here, spend time exploring Ashfield.

 

Tell me more about Ashfield!

 

.....Founded in the mid 1700's it was once renowned as a pottery manufacturing town in its own right. You can examine relics of the early Ashfield pottery at the Ashfield Historical Society's museum store down the street from Claydance.

 

.....In the winter, after a day of cross country skiing, snowmobiling, or ice fishing in Ashfield Lake, stop in a Elmer's Country Store for breakfast or lunch.

 

.....In the spring, join what the locals lightheartedly call the "sap suckers" who trek up from the large cities to sample the newly boiled maple syrup at one of the many sugar houses around Ashfield and along the Mohawk Trail (Route 2)

 

.....Summer is for hiking trails in the verdant forests through lush ferns and beside cascading trout streams. Summer days here are balmy and the nights a bit cooler then down in the valleys, so bring a sweater, even if it is hot when you leave home. The nearby Deefield River is a renowned fly fishing site. Visit Shelburne Falls for some shopping, sightseeing and eating, after you stroll across the bridge of flowers that spans the Deefield River.

 

.....Come to the Ashfield Fall Festival during Columbus Day Weekend and find an abundance of handcrafts, food, games for the kids, food, music and food. A lot of the other hill towns sponsor their own fall festivals, but the Ashfield Fall Festival is the oldest and best!

 

How can I contact you?

dawn@claydance.com

Dawn Fessenden

Box 490

Ashfield, MA 01330 

413-628-4438

 

Galleries selling Claydance Pottery:

 

Artisan Center 2757 East 3rd Ave, Denver, CO 80206 (303) 333-1201

Artist's Proof 7900 Highschool Road, Elkins Park PA 19027 (215 )635-6166

Atherton House Adel, Iowa 515.993.2034

Courtyard Gardens 8600 Foundry St. Savage MD 20763 (301)776-1728

Essentia The Mall at Chestnut Hill 199 Boylston St Chestnut Hill MA 02467 617.244.4468

Garden Culture of Longwood 908 East Baltimore Pike, Kennett Square, PA 19348 (610) 388-6300

Heart of the Home 28 South Main Street New Hope, PA 18938 (215)862-1880

Helen Winnemore's Contemporary Craft 150 East Kossuth Street, Columbus, OH 43206 614.444.5850

Imagine 11 W. Cannon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.899.3700

L'Ambiente 476 Magnolia Ave. Larkspur, CA 94939 (415) 924-2936

Lilly's 7219 West North Ave. Wauwatusa WI 53213 (414) 607-0129

Mannor & Knoll 8401 Germantown Av., Chestnut Hill, PA 19118 (215) 247-3180

Mole Hill Pottery 1210 Taft Hwy, Signal Mtn. TN 37377 (423)886-5636

SeaDragon 1240 Waterfront Shops #104 1240 Duck Rd. Duck NC 27949 phone 252.261.4224

Tao Water Art Gallery 1989 Route 6A West Barnstable, MA 02668 508.833.2496 bao@capecod.net

Zola Craft Gallery 626B Ninth St. Durham, NC 27705 (919) 286-5112

Elmers Country Store Main Street, Ashfield MA 01330

 

And be sure to visit our website to see lots more images of Dawn's pottery, information about ordering, and more! 

http://www.claydance.com/