Medalta Musings: Over the years, work at Medalta has changed

By Medicine Hat News on January 6, 2018.

Medalta has always been about work, about hard work. Back in the 1920s, work looked like a teenaged Bill Wyatt unloading boxcars of clay after a full day of work for a couple of bucks per car, building up strength so he could play baseball for teams throughout the region (he was that good). Or it looked like that day in 1948 when Walter Sailer produced 5,110 plates in one day. He had a couple helpers to do this and he was paid only for the quality pieces he produced. We think about work a lot here at Medalta, the evidence of it is everywhere: from the worn tool handles to the mountains of shards, to the years of accumulated dust and oil that has settled onto every surface of the factory.

We still work hard at Medalta; it just looks a little different now. Currently it looks like a group of Grade 3 students learning about Tunisia by making tagines in our education program, or resident artists preparing for an exhibition in Ontario. Today the work is organizing a festival in a brickyard or hosting a public market. We have switched gears from making things to making experiences, from the alchemy of changing dirt into stone to the alchemy of engaging with material and heritage.

I have been thinking a lot about work lately because work has changed for me personally. I have accepted the position of executive director of Medalta. I feel so fortunate to be able to lead an organization that is as dynamic as Medalta. Eight and a half years ago my wife and I and our three-month-old daughter came here for two weeks to teach a kiln building workshop at the then unfinished Shaw International Centre for Contemporary Ceramics. Now I am guessing most of you have never built a kiln, but let me tell you it is the definition of hard work. It is dusty, heavy, abrasive work, the kind of work that makes you thirst for a lager at the end of the day. Eleven students came from across Canada to learn and build that spring, and the kilns are still standing and being used almost daily. My new role is much more about spreadsheets, restoration, museology, and fundraising, but I know that my work life still relies on the same dedication to craftsmanship and hard work that I relied on to build those kilns. “Don’t cut corners,” “be honest to the materials,” “ensure that it is level” and “build it to last” are just some of the axioms I think about in my new role. And believe me, being the ED of a place as dynamic as Medalta requires a lot of thinking. The thing that I most think about these days is sustainability.

As we head into 2018 Medalta does face challenges. The economy that affects us all certainly has an effect on a cultural organization such as ours. Fewer people through the doors, less attendance at events and much less funding from all three levels of government are all challenges that we face as we come to work every day. Our workdays are about delivering creative learning experiences in a stunning heritage context and we will continue to do this. Just like Walter Sailer who made all those plates almost 70 years ago we have a plan to move forward. Focus on quality, do what we know, and most of all ask for support and help when we need it.

You can all work for Medalta as well. We are not asking you to unload a boxcar of clay, or to fix a roof or even to make bowls. Your work looks more like support, specifically financial support. I am not sure if you know this or not but we depend on the public to help us keep doing what we are doing. It is your donations, your purchases, and your willingness to give that makes up two thirds of our income. Remember that you are our biggest supporters, not the government. If Medalta resonates with your values, or you have had a good experience here, or you just really like this dusty old pottery factory on the edge of town, please consider a financial contribution or become a member to support our four pillars of learning, creativity, community and heritage.

Aaron Nelson is executive director of Medalta.

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