About us
The SKW Pottery Lab grew out of Sandra K. Webster’s passion for pottery. As a college professor, she advised many students over the years to take Kathy Koop’s the wheel throw pottery class. In the early 1990s she decided to sit in on the wheel throw ceramics class herself. Kathy Koop was delighted to have her as an unofficial auditor.
Webster audited Koop’s classes for ten years, never having to graduate. During that time, she served as a Fulbright Lecturer in Seoul, Korea where she also took a course in Korean pottery techniques at the national museum. As her skills grew she began to show her pottery at a local museum and on the internet. Prior to Kathy Koop’s retirement from Westminster College Sandra K. Webster produced the Koop Retrospective. Ronald Webster photographed the exhibition for the catalog.
In 2011, Westminster College moved the art department from the third floor of an academic building to the basement of a men’s dorm. That meant that the high fire kiln would not be part of ceramic arts at Westminster anymore. Koop was heartbroken because it was such a “sweet” kiln. It had produced so many pots, and fostered so much learning over the years. Webster volunteered to take the kiln, with all that meant. Koop was excited to help Webster design a studio to continue high-fire pottery making. The story of the building is below.
The SKW Pottery Lab began almost fully equipped for work.
The Websters opened their Etsy shop in 2014. Since then the SKW Pottery Lab has been the site of many pottery experiments. Zoning laws restrict using the studio from teaching or direct sales. However, SKW has taught the grandchildren who also delight in clay. During the pandemic the studio did double duty. It continued to be a pottery, but also served as a classroom for both the homeschooling of a grandchild and Webster’s online psychology classes.
