Purple Sage Pottery

Welcome

Carbon Trap Shino Vases by Iris Minc Elegant shapes with a touch of whimsy…enhanced with rich, jewel-like glazes…please the eye and the hands that hold them.

These are the trademarks of Purple Sage Pottery, located in the town of Merrimac in northeastern Massachusetts.

The slab built and wheel thrown reduction-fired pottery of potter Iris Minc is available year-round for purchase from the Purple Sage gallery.

Twice annually the studio puts on a Pottery Sale Extravaganza, where the public may purchase the functional and decorative wares, and clay sculptures of another 14 New England potters.

At Purple Sage, you can take pottery classes from one of several dedicated teachers, enjoy open studio time on Saturdays or rent studio space.

Sign up now for Spring classes
starting the week of March 25th

Bowl with spiral paint pallette We offer Open Studio Time on Saturdays for current and former students to be able to use the studio on their own without instruction. We are limiting the number of people to 6 per room. Click on this link to go to the Excel spreadsheet where you can sign up for Open Studio Time. Most times there is no need to sign up ahead of time, but occasionally the studio does get crowded.

We offer classes for adults taught by teachers as committed to teaching as they are to pottery. While grounded in the fundamentals of hand-building, throwing and glazing, we strive to nurture your creative spirit.

You can take full advantage of our well-equipped studios, including electric wheels, slab rollers, extruders and various tools. We have an extensive selection of beautiful reduction-fired glazes. Your work is handled with great care, and we pride ourselves on the exceptional results we get from our 70 cubic foot gas fired kiln.

Call or email us to sign up for classes. For more information on classes go to Classes page. Click here for class brochure

Shows

Spring Studio Open House and Sale

Saturday May 4
Raindate Sunday May 5
10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

It’s our 30 Year Anniversary!!

Iris in front of newly built kiln in 1994

The potters at Purple Sage invite you to their
Annual Spring Studio Sale Extravaganza! And the Celebration of it’s 30 Year Anniversary.

by Nancy Cahan

by Karen Girard

This spring we are excited to celebrate our 30 year anniversary!! Iris Minc, the founder, had the vision of creating a thriving community of potters, and so she set up the studio and built the gas kiln with the help of friends and family 30 years ago.

by MK McNally

For the spring sale, the studio will be transformed into a pottery market; showcasing the varied works of 13 local clay artists. Inside you will see about half of the potters and their wares, hints of the studio as a working pottery studio, as well as the gas kiln, where most of the pottery is fired. The rest of the potters will be in the lower lot and in front of the building under tents.

Please Note! We will only send out email notices, no postcards this time, so make sure you are in our email list! You can sign up in the sidebar to the right.

For more information please go to our Shows page.

League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair

Iris’ turquoise and shino pitchers

The Sunapee Craft Fair is happening August 5 – 13, 2023

But Iris is not participating this year!

After taking a break from Sunapee in 2020 because of Covid, I got a taste of how nice it is to have a summer off.

I hope you still check out Sunapee!
But come see me, Iris at my studio gallery!!! I look forward to seeing you at:

3 Mechanic St., Merrimac, MA 01860

Lotus

Iris’ award winning installation.

Four feet in diameter, consisting of five large leaves, three small leaves, three flowers and a bud. The small leaves and flowers are supported by gently curved copper pipe. Great for a pool with a water fountain spraying over it. Available for purchase.

New Gallery Section

We now have an expanded photo gallery with glaze samples, and pictures of all the standard production items that we make here at Purple Sage Pottery and a corresponding price list, plus some of our one-of-a-kind pieces.