Public Statement from Pottery Northwest on Roe v Wade
I want to speak out about the devastating U.S. Supreme Court decision to reverse the Roe v Wade decision. On behalf of the Board and Staff, we want to be clear: at Pottery Northwest, we believe that women’s rights are human rights, trans & nonbinary rights are human rights, and equal rights for all are foundational to a world where everyone can thrive as their authentic selves. To achieve a gender-equal world, we need the right to bodily autonomy and access to reproductive healthcare.
So why are we, a pottery studio, speaking up about this?
As an Arts leader and life-long maker, I see and believe in the essential role the Arts plays in the march toward collective liberation:
Through the Arts we tell our myths and stories, personal and universal, modern and ancestral. Through the Arts, we build bridges that connect us to other identities and experiences–bridges that help us to recognize that all of our human struggles are intimately connected. Through the Arts we cry out against injustice, shake foundations, and offer a balm for healing. Through the Arts we weave beautiful visions of the future — a future where all of us are able to live into our full humanity.
Throughout history, the Arts have been used for advocacy and activism–both evil and good. As an artist myself, I have certainly wondered at times how my art could ever change the world. And perhaps it can’t. But it can change people–and people can change the world. So to that, I say:
To those of you creating and making: use your art to tell your truth, to champion your causes, to spark the hard conversations, and to bring about change–one person at a time.
To those of you looking in through the gallery window: don’t just walk by. Let yourself experience another's perspective. Let yourself be challenged by what you see and hear.
To those of you in our community at Pottery Northwest: Be kind to one another. In the weeks to come you will interact with people who have strong opinions that will not align with yours. Treating them with respect and empathy, especially those we disagree most passionately with, will reflect the strength of our community and our shared commitment to inclusion.
On one final note, I recognize that my leadership at Pottery Northwest is soon coming to an end. I want to reassure that the values expressed here are held firmly by our incoming Executive Director, Ed King. He will be carrying on and leading our journey to an organizational strategy that centers inclusion and equity, and will not shy away from standing up and speaking up about what is just.
Caitlin Pontrella, Interim Executive Director
Ed King, Incoming Executive Director