President's Message
Happy New Year everyone even though it feels a bit like the old year!
One thing that feels like the past year is that RoseAnn Goerger who has served selflessly as our Treasurer would like to ring in the new year with me telling her that we have a new Treasurer excited to take her place. So, I look forward to hearing from you so she can look forward to hearing from me!
I want to thank everyone who volunteered their time, effort and passion to make the NDPCS organization carry on our mission. This includes board member Todd Hanson whose term is complete, Jeremy Dietchman who is our new Vice-President, and Bonnie Nelson who will be taking over for Sharon Smith as Secretary. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has served this organization.
A thank you also goes out to our new board members: Tara Holt, Karen Midgarden, and Sue Stubson. We are glad to have you join us in guiding NDPCS into the future. Finally, a special thank you to Don and Rose Ann Goerger who are the Convention Chairs and have a great get-together planned in Fargo, June 10-12, 2022 (fingers-crossed).
I always give a quick shout out to the Facebook group. If you have not checked out the trio posts the past few months, you have really missed out. Please consider joining, commenting, and posting. It is a great way to connect with those interested in North Dakota pottery!
Personal note: I try to give our daughter Anna a piece of North Dakota pottery each year for Christmas, hoping to keep the spark of collecting alive. This year it was to remind her of our times in Kiawah Island and because I know she needed a soap dish for her new place!
Happy Hunting,Michael Kaul
Welcome from Don & Rose Ann Goerger
33rd ANNUAL CONVENTION - FARGO, ND
Here we are again finally, our annual convention. Now that the holiday season is history, it is a new beginning for our organization after having missed last year. So far in our planning, things are going quite well. We are disappointed in the fact that we had to raise our registration $10.00 over last year. But I would guess all have perhaps figured that out, considering if you bought a gallon of gas last year and again now. You will find the necessary registration forms in this newsletter. If anyone has any questions, feel free to call or email us.
Dick Berg is handling the auction this year, along with Linda Bakken again volunteering to do the auction catalog. We have been fortunate again to have volunteers step up. Nate is working on the commemoratives. I think that you will all be pleased as Nate did a wonderful job last year in spite of not having a convention. Rose and I look forward to seeing you all again this year and we hope we have a program lined up that you all will enjoy and learn from.
2022 Annual NDPCS Convention Tentative Agenda
Holiday Inn
3803 13 Ave S.
Fargo, ND 58103
Friday: June 10, 2022
3:30 - 4:30pm Room Check-in; Hotel Lobby
3:00 - 4:30pm Registration; Commemorative Pickup; Harvest Hall
3:30 - 5:00pm Meet & Greet; Harvest Hall
5:00 - 7:00pm Evening Meal; Open Bar; Harvest Hall
7:30pm Presentation by Linda Bakken; Harvest Hall
8:00pm Room Visitations
Saturday: June 11, 2022
7:30am Board of Directors Meeting
7:30 - 9:30am Registration; Commemorative Pickup; Harvest Hall
9:00 - 10:30am Educational Seminar; Robin Reynolds; Harvest Hall
10:30 - 12:00pm TBD
12:00 - 1:15pm Auction Setup; Harvest Hall
11:30 - 12:30pm Box Lunch
1:30 - 2:00pm Auction Preview; Harvest Hall
2:15pm Auction; Harvest Hall
5:30pm Banquet; Social; Silent Auction; Harvest Hall
6:30pm Evening Meal
7:00pm Program
9:00pm Room Visitation
Sunday: June 12, 2022
8:30am Coffee; Harvest Hall
8:30am Membership Meeting; Harvest Hall
9:00am NDPCS Annual Meeting; Harvest Hall
11:00am Safe Travels
2022 NDPCS Commemorative
by Nate Leben
After having two conventions cancelled back to back and active membership in the Society waning, I thought we needed a fresh start for the group, and so the 2022 commemorative is a little different this year. It needed to be a bolder piece and one that will gain in value due to the potter's prestige. This year's piece will be done by a very well established professional potter. His work can be found in public and private collections in all 50 states and internationally, including the ND Governor's Mansion, The Microsoft Permanent Collection, The South Dakota Museum of Art, The Rourke Museum and Michelle Obama's office (her personal collection)! NDPCS members, I introduce you to Brad Bachmeier of Bachmeier Pottery and Sculpture. Brad's work has been featured in Ceramics Monthly magazine and the National Council on Ceramic Arts Education - International Journal. Brad is one of only 19 brick sculptors in the nation as recognized by the American Brick Association and has completed numerous large and significant scale brick and tile relief sculpture works.
Brad will be working within the Turtle Mountain Indian Pottery genre. This fits within his current work as Artist-in-Residence within 5 national and state parks as well as academic research into archeological digs that he has done at Sakakawea Village at Fort Berthold, Mesa Verde, and Poverty Point World Heritage sites.
He will make small vessels utilizing native North Dakota clay mixed with mica (gold flake particiles), burnish them for a deep gloss, and pit-fire them with horse and cow dung. Whaaaaaat? That's right! This process not only relates to the Turtle Mountain pottery, but is also gives a nod of acknowledgment to the state's first and most prolific pottery makers of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (the Three Affiliated Tribes). The pieces will bear a resemblance to the piece that he commissioned to make by the National Governor's Association and given as a gift to Michelle Obama which she displayed in her office and is now in her permanent personal collection. Due to the national reputation, traditional forming and firing methods, and process and commercial success of his work, it might be valuable to share that the retail value of these works even if small would likely be around $95 nad are being offered at the $35 price.
Brad Bachmeier is a native of Anamoose, North Dakota and is currently living south of Fargo where he owns and operates Bachmeier Pottery and Sculpture. His passion drives him to create ceramic vessels and sculpture that tell the story of mankind's ancient and universal partnership with clap through the study of geology, archeology, and global patterns, symbols, and iconography. I hope you'll join my excitement by ordering a 2022 Commemorative.
It is important that you get your order in before the March 15th deadline, as only enough commemoratives to fill pre-orders will be ordered from the potter.
1. Commemoratives shall be pre-ordered and paid for before March 15th, 2022.
2. No orders or sales will be taken after March 15th.
3. There will be no sales at the convention, only pick-up of pre-ordered paid commemoratives.
4. Upon request and payment to include postage and handling the commemorative can be mailed.
