The Largest Potters Fair in the Country Returns to Southfield Pavilion – Detroit Jewish News

The annual event at the Southfield Pavilion is a great place to find holiday gifts.

The largest potters fair in the country returns Nov. 30-Dec. 3 to the Southfield Pavilion in the Southfield Municipal Complex, and two of the returning artists, among the 140 artists showing their works, are Rachail Laine of Ann Arbor and George Erdstein of Huntington Woods.

While Laine showcases very functional works using a lot of shades of blue, Erdstein has functional, decorative and whimsical pieces that feature unique elements, and some of his work showcases murals with abstract scenes.

“We are so delighted to be returning to the Southfield Pavilion,” said Bridget Blosser, manager of the event in its 46th year. “This is when the finest potters in Michigan and the Midwest show off and sell their works in one place at one time.

“This year, we are thrilled to announce that there are 44 new artists in the show, along with the many artists who return every year.”

Laine offers trays, large bowls, vases, mixing bowls and mugs among her many pieces offered to some 8,000 customers who visit the Annual Potters Market.

“I studied ceramics in Israel at the end of the Yom Kippur War,” said Laine, 70. “I was born in Israel and grew up outside Tel Aviv. I always liked to play with clay and made ceramic pieces in high school.”

Laine belongs to the Cherry Hill Potters Guild in Canton and also sells her works at the annual Plymouth Art in the Park.

“I’m in the studio every day and think it’s the best therapy in the world,” she said. “I love the Potters Market.”

All the artists showing their work in the market take on differing responsibilities throughout the event, and Laine works in the Bulk Area, where items need to get restocked. Other artists can be seen handling the checkout registers and helping customers in many ways, such as contact with specific artists.

Laine, a returning artist for many years, describes the Bulk Area as a place for offering many economical items, some starting at $5. Included are mugs, tiles, garden art, whimsical items and vessels made from stoneware, earthenware, porcelain, raku and smoke-fired materials.

Erdstein’s range of projects includes decorative tiles to hang on walls, abstract tall figures, pitchers, vases and bowls. A retired architect, he started showing his ceramic pieces in 2013 and retains a menorah from a group of items he showed years ago.

“I’ve been designing things my whole life, and ceramics became a natural transition from architecture,” said Erdstein, 85, who has a daughter-in-law in Israel who also has turned ceramic projects into a specialized form of artistry.

“We admire each other’s work, and I think including faces on some of the pieces I do gives them life,” he said.

Erdstein uses equipment at Oakland Community College in Royal Oak to make his designs into ceramic pieces. He developed his ceramic skills after enrolling in evening adult education courses at Oak Park High School.

Two chess sets made out of ceramics have been especially important to Erdstein, who sold one and kept one. There are religious figures that entered into these projects.

Aside from ceramics, a special commitment of Erdstein is speaking as a survivor at the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Farmington Hills. He is a member of Temple Emanu-El in Oak Park and is proud that he has a daughter who serves as a rabbi in Georgia.

Last year, more than 35,000 pieces of pottery were sold at the Potters Market with prices reaching up to hundreds of dollars. Besides the pieces mentioned, there also are jewelry, ceramic-framed mirrors, sculpture, lamps and tile-topped tables for visitors to select.

Each day will have pottery-making demonstrations for visitors to enhance their own skills and Potters Market T-shirts for sale. Every year, the event picks a charity to support with ceramics donated and sold for this purpose. The 2023 cause is Leader Dogs for the Blind.

For the convenience of customers, they will have the availability of free coat check, use of an ATM and lots of parking. The Southfield Pavilion, the place of the Potters Market for eight years, allows for wider aisles for browsing and more pottery on the shelves for selection choices.

The Annual Potters Market has the following hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 1, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Dec. 2 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 3 with free admission at the Southfield Pavilion, 26000 Evergreen Road. Preview Night 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30, is $10. (248) 398-6846. thepottersmarket.com.