Have you met Miss March?
Leanna Carlson is a local unsung hero when it comes to the arts, yet her profile has just risen since she's one of the two Canadians featured in the North American Potters Council 2012 calendar as Miss March.
Yes, she's got many other facets to her life (skier, mother of two daughters), but it's her arts support and involvement that I want to speak of now.
Leanna is the Prince George and District Community Arts Council president and has been for the past five years. They were bumpy years as she guided the CAC out of a variety of difficulties, re-built the board of directors and re-focused the CAC.
Leanna is also the treasurer of CIRAC (Central Interior Regional Arts Council), a not-for-profit charitable organization whose mandate is to initiate and promote the cultural enrichment of the lives of the people in British Columbia's Central Interior.
As if these two organizations were not enough to keep Leanna busy, she is also on the local Prince George Potters Guild executive and teaches pottery classes through the guild.
She has participated in several projects with the Community Arts Council, the two most recent being Come in from the Cold 2012 and Believe, where Leanna taught hands on classes with clay to people recovering from addictions in our community.
Believe was very successful and she hopes to repeat in again soon.
Leanna has been honing her clay craft for over 20 years. She still tries to take in every opportunity to learn and grow with her medium. She mines her own clay for much of her work. She makes her own custom glazes as well. This is a labor intensive undertaking. Check out her website for more detailed information at www.carlsonpottery.com.
This past summer she won a coveted summer artists in residence spot at Medalta during this past summer. Medalta is the Mecca for pottery people, located on the South Saskatchewan River in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Leanna also teaches adults and children. She has the patience of someone who loves her craft and wants to share it with all those interested. One of her favourite teaching opportunities is artists in the schools. She goes into the school and works with classes and clay. She takes the children's work home and fires it and brings it back for them.
Leanna Carlson, one of our unsung local arts heroes. Find out more about Leanna through the links I've included in the article. You can also find her on Facebook or YouTube. Rather meet her in person? Look for her at these upcoming events: Evening of decadence- March 24, Spring Arts Bazaar - Chili cook-off first weekend in June, Clayfest Aug. 9 to 11, 2012.
