Grand Rapids pottery show Nov. 6-7: more than 45 West Michigan potters sell mugs, vases and gifts at the guild’s fall sale

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Holiday shoppers looking for something handmade and local can browse work from more than 45 West Michigan clay artists at the West Michigan Potters Guild’s Fall Show on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7, in Grand Rapids.

The show runs from noon to 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the St. Nicholas Cultural Center, 2250 E. Paris Ave. SE, according to the guild. Admission and on-site parking are free, MLive reported, according to a Hoodline summary of its story.

What you will find. Guild members have spent months making pieces for the sale, from inexpensive stocking stuffers to collector work: dinnerware, mugs, vases, teapots, jewelry, home accents and wall sculpture, according to the reports. The sale mixes longtime guild artists with first-time participants, and shoppers can enter drawings for “Potter’s Bucks” to spend at the show.

The guild’s own list of participating members runs to 49 numbered spots, with one still marked “TBA,” so the final count could shift by show day. The guild’s website also has member pages grouped alphabetically, so you can look up a maker before you go.

Who the guild is. The West Michigan Potters Guild began in 1983 with a small group of potters who felt isolated working alone in their studios, the guild says. It now counts more than 80 members working in a range of firing and building methods, in both functional and decorative forms. Besides its twice-yearly shows, the group holds lectures, workshops and member-run classes, and membership is open to anyone interested in clay.

What this means for you. The Friday evening hours make it an easy after-work stop, while Saturday morning usually brings the widest choice before popular pieces sell. Buying at an artist-run show like this keeps the money with local makers rather than a big-box chain, and the artists are on hand to talk about how a piece was made and how to care for it. Bring a sturdy bag or box for breakables.

For more things to do, see our Grand Rapids page.

Sources:
West Michigan Potters Guild, “Information On Our Shows” (dates, hours, location, participating members), https://westmichiganpottersguild.com/information-on-our-shows
West Michigan Potters Guild, home page (history, membership), https://westmichiganpottersguild.com/
Hoodline, “More Than 45 Southwest Michigan Ceramic Artists and Sculptors to Show Work at Grand Rapids Fall Sale,” Oct. 21, 2026 (summarizing MLive: free admission and parking, Potter’s Bucks drawings), https://hoodline.com/2026/10/more-than-45-southwest-michigan-ceramic-artists-and-sculptors-to-show-work-at-grand-rapids-fall-sale/
Photo: Liinbean, “Handmade Ceramic Mugs (made and photographed by Liina Potter).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Handmade_Ceramic_Mugs_(made_and_photographed_by_Liina_Potter).jpg

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