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 9 week Winter classes
starting the week of January 6

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. 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

Fall Studio Open House and Sale

Saturday, October 26, 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday, October 27, 1 1 am – 4 pm

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 Fall Studio Sale Extravaganza! And the continued Celebration of it’s 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.

For the fall sale, the studio will be transformed into a pottery market; showcasing the varied works of 16 local clay artists. This fall most of us will be inside the studio, which will allow us to hold the show on both Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine.

Our featured artist, Newburyport potter Jenny Graf, was first introduced to pottery as a little girl, watching her grandfather, Frank Graf Senior, a long time Salisbury resident and Newburyport High School teacher, throw pots on his kick wheel. She began her affiliation with Purple Sage Pottery in 2001 with the purchase of dinner ware she and her family use to this day. Her love of the craft lead to classes at Purple Sage, and ultimately a position on the teaching staff at the studio, as well as a participant in the studio sales.

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.

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.