Crafting community at West Union Art Studios
Adam and Molly Mackay stand in their West Union Art Studios. The couple will be offering pottery classes soon.
The Mackays create each piece of pottery by hand. Here, Adam uses a wheel to help form a vessel.
West Union Arts Studios’ Adam Mackay works on a potters wheel in the gallery he owns with wife Molly.
Fresh off the wheel, Adam Mackay’s pottery pieces wait for the next step in the process.
Colorful pottery awaits visitors to West Union Art Studios. Owners Adam and Molly Mackay share their space with a dozen other artists.
A visit to Adam and Molly Mackay’s West Union Art Studios is like stepping back to a simpler time.
The old hardwood floors grumble a bit underneath your feet. Warm lighting highlights shelves filled with the hand-crafted work of more than a dozen artisans. And a sweet red-brown puppy named Reishi scampers around the couple’s feet before settling in the middle of a cushy dog bed for an afternoon nap.
Adam and Molly are potters by trade, and their studio features not only their creations but also the works of a dozen additional artists. The couple take a break from their work at the potter’s wheel to have a cup of coffee and talk about their journey, past, present, and future, in this welcoming downtown space. They have a few projects underway and are happy to “talk shop” in their cozy studio.
PLAY WITH CLAY
Beginning in late March, the Mackays hope to invite the public into their pleasant upstairs space for pottery classes. When the Mackays had an opportunity to open their business on West Union Street in downtown Morganton 10 years ago, Adam said the couple dabbled in teaching classes, but discovered their upstairs space was not equipped for hosting arts instruction.
But now that’s not the case.
“Through a series of changes over the years, we are at a point where we can do classes,” he stated. “We’ve made the space usable again. We’ve just put a lot of work in.”
Molly explained the couple’s clay supplier was wiped out when Hurricane Helene stormed through western North Carolina, which has added a glitch to their plans.
“We’re still working on trying to find clays that work with our glazes,” she said. “We’re doing some tests and then hopefully we’ll be able to get more clay to offer classes.”
They’ll begin by teaching hand-building workshops, classes where students will, as the name implies, form projects by hand without the use of a wheel.
“The classes will be about two hours long for one project,” Adam explained. He said the sessions will be perfect for beginning potters.
“So, if you’ve never touched clay before, you can come in and make a project with us,” he said.
Students will make pottery pieces, and then Adam and Molly will take on the next steps of glazing, finishing, and firing.
“It takes about three or four weeks to run everything through the kilns,” Adam noted. He explained that before long, other artists in the West Union studio cooperative may offer their own classes.
“I feel very confident that in the near future, we’ll be having different people do classes, like a sculpture workshop or something like that,” Adam stated. “So, it won’t be just us doing the one-night project. You might have something that is a little bit different.”
Adam is also a musician and currently offers piano lessons at the studio, and Molly has turned her love of candle making into a sideline. She fills her pottery vessels with her own wax recipe, a concoction that not only has a pleasant smell, but is also easy on the senses.
“They’re clean scented, but they don’t have some of the known carcinogens that cause people headaches and other issues big box stores (candles) have,” she explained.
And as an added bonus, when the candle is gone, purchasers may bring the pottery container back to the shop for a refill.
LOVE MATCH
The duo has been rooted in the arts since they were high school sweethearts.
“We’ve been together for a long time now,” Adam stated, “so our stories are kind of linked.”
Adam and Molly took pottery classes in high school, then refined their common craft with courses at Western Piedmont Community College and Appalachian State University, where they received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with concentrations in ceramics.
After graduation, “we almost naively just jumped in, opened up this place, and wow, we’re glad that we did.” Adam said. “It’s been good for us. It’s been a good place to build our craft and develop skills and professionalism.”
GIVING BACK
The Mackays’ commitment to their community is evident. They continually look for ways to give back, hosting benefits and events in their space, like the upcoming Open Hearts Place fundraiser in April.
The Burke County charity’s mission is to provide intermediate housing and programs to promote family self-efficiency. Through a three-year cycle, families move into their homes under an affordable rent amount, enter into a series of programs, and come out of it equipped with the knowledge to sustain a house on their own.
Tickets for the April 5 benefit will entitle holders to a homemade ice cream sundae and a pottery bowl to take home. The event will support affordable housing for essential workers in Burke County.
“The people in the studio will make bowls, and maybe some other potters in the area may decide to contribute as well,” Adam explained. “We’ll have at least 100 bowls here to benefit Open Hearts Place, which is an organization that is potentially meeting the need for affordable housing for just the regular people, like police officers and teachers who are struggling to purchase a house in Burke County right now.”
“That’s a big thing for us,” Adam said. “We want to be able to use the store to help the community.”
The Mackays have not yet set a date for their pottery classes, but according to Adam, those interested should keep an eye on the business’ website, westunionartstudiosllc.com, and their social media accounts for an announcement.
Likewise, Adam and Molly will use electronic media to publish details about the April 5 ice cream and bowl event.
West Union Art Studios is at 113 W. Union St. in Morganton. The gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment. Call the studio at 828-403-4148.
Sandra Wilkerson Queen is the arts & entertainment editor. She may be reached at 828-445-8595, ext. 2002, or sandra@thepaper.media.
