Ed King named Executive Director
Pottery Northwest makes bold strides toward equity with new leadership and facility
SEATTLE—Pottery Northwest has named Ed King, an award-winning artist, marketer, and arts leader, as its next Executive Director. The Miami-native joins the 56-year-old organization at a pivotal moment. In addition to King’s appointment, Pottery Northwest is now unveiling its newly constructed facility in the Foster/White building in Pioneer Square—and re-thinking its entire operation through a lens of equity and antiracism. King replaces Interim Executive Director Caitlin Pontrella, a local nonprofit/arts leader and professional interim.
“I am thrilled to get to know our dedicated and passionate team, our talented ceramicists, and the community of Seattle—my new home,” King said. “I look forward to creating opportunities in the arts that inspire, bring people together, and lower barriers to access. Together, we are going to create an amazing future, and I hope you will join us!”
This fresh new chapter for Pottery Northwest comes after a turbulent last few years. In addition to the challenges of the global pandemic, the organization lost its Seattle Center space to city development. Beginning with the 2020 racial justice uprisings, the organization heard feedback on ways it has failed people from both LGBTQIA2+, and Black, Indigenous, People of Color communities. Listening and learning from these stories has helped Pottery Northwest to re-envision its practices and values.
“We are taking a hard look at everything we do, and have been grateful to members of our community who shared their experiences with us,” said Cappy Thompson, outgoing president of the board, and current board member. “We saw that we need to provide more support and increase compensation. For example, you cannot expect someone to curate an exhibit for free.”
Outlined in an April 22 website update, the organization’s new equity priorities are broad. For example, expanding staff compensation between 20–25 percent, redesigning hiring processes to reduce bias, and adopting a shared leadership practice; the staff are currently creating the leadership manual together. The group will also continue to contract outside DEIA consultants.
Finally, the board has hired a leader in Ed King who is deeply motivated to prioritize equity and civic impact. Previously, King has partnered with charities such as People in Crisis United and the Carrie Brazer Center for Autism, and also served as Chief Operating Officer for Creative Pinellas, where he fiercely advocated on behalf of individual artists and arts organizations.
King will step into his role as Executive Director just as Pottery Northwest moves into its airy, new 8,000-square foot space in the Foster/White Gallery building (220 Third Avenue). The facility includes offices, a gallery, and storage. There’s dedicated space for resident artists, including 20 pottery wheels, a handbuilding space, a wet sink, glaze area and kiln room. Here, a variety of adult classes are offered at all levels, and summer youth camps are coming, as well.
With this more centralized location on the bus line, Pottery Northwest is hoping to be more accessible to communities of color, including those who reside in South Seattle. It’s an exciting prospect—the chance to create a sense of belonging.
“We believe that art—and a creative practice—can be a real balm for our busy lives today,” said Shruti Kataria, incoming board president of Pottery Northwest. “Working with clay can provide a path to express, to process, and to be able to create something tangible–working with clay adds to the richness of our human experience.”
To learn more about Pottery Northwest, including information about upcoming classes, go to potterynorthwest.org.
ABOUT POTTERY NORTHWEST
Founded in 1966 by a group of local artists based in Seattle, Pottery Northwest celebrates innovation and access to education in ceramics, with a mission of fostering an inclusive community around clay. Over the years we have grown into a nationally renowned ceramics studio through our long-standing and vibrant programming. Our programs serve more than 1,000 students a year and artists from around the world come to Pottery Northwest in the spirit of artistic dialogue and as a formative step in their careers.