female announcer: On "Studio Space," Kati Texas sits down with Shoshanna, a teacher and dancer who specializes in Middle Eastern dance.

Then visit potter Peggy Loudon in her studio to talk about the inspiration behind her work.

"Studio Space" explores the thriving art colony in Northern California.

♪♪♪ announcer: This activity is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, and by viewers like you.

Thank you.

♪♪♪ David Ferney: Hi, I'm David Ferney.

Kati Texas: And I'm Kati Texas.

Today on "Studio Space," we talk with two award-winning artists.

David: I'll be visiting with potter and ceramic artist Peggy Loudon, who, after 25-plus years, still finds her work fascinating, challenging, and rewarding.

But first, Kati sits down with dance enthusiast Shoshanna, who brings a little fairy magic wherever she goes.

Shoshanna: For me, personally, it's that connection of the people in the room where you have the live music playing and you have the dancer performing, trying to embody that music that's happening in the space and the people who are in the space with you, receiving that as an audience.

It's not a passive experience, but they give that feedback, so it's a whole feedback loop of the music, the dance, and the audience, and giving each other a triangular energy.

♪♪♪ Kati: All right, Shoshanna, welcome to "Studio Space."

Where are we?

Shoshanna: We are at Redwood Raks.

It is now a collective, so Redwood Raks Collective, a nonprofit dance space in Arcata, right in the Creamery District, and it is a space where many people perform and study and train and rehearse and put on productions and shows and events.

Kati: "Redwood Raks," what does the name mean?

Shoshanna: "Raks" means "dance" in Arabic.

It's often spelled with a "Q," and it's transliterated from Arabic, but that word means "dance," and I thought it was lovely to bring into this space, but it's often mispronounced "racks," and so "raaks" is the real word, but Redwood Raks World Dance Studio has been its name, now Redwood Raks Collective.

Kati: What do you get out of dancing, personally?

Shoshanna: For me, almost leaving town and being a part of these dance events out of town is more what feeds my spirit and getting the live music aspect.

I will drive far for my favorite musicians and some of the Middle Eastern dances evolved into an interesting style where there's a lot of freedoms that have been taken with the music and dance over the years, and increasingly now people are learning more about the styles of where-- how they're used more specifically in traditional locations.

So last year, I went to Egypt, which was a big, epic adventure for me.

The month of April, I was traveling and really exploring different folk dances and social dance styles from Cairo to Aswan and getting a chance to study with teachers that don't usually travel outside that country and just digging in deeper into the music and the dance and how people use music and dance in their everyday lives and not have it be such a disconnected experience as it can be, living in Arcata, exploring a dance style you like, and just doing what you want with it is not always appropriate, or it's not always-- it's just interesting to explore how people use dance and how people use art in the spaces that it comes from, and then how it's influenced by your own imagination and excitement in your own ways.

Kati: Yeah, sort of taking that flavor into a completely different part of the world gives it a new life and new-- different connections like fusion cuisine.

Shoshanna: It does but-- and a lot of the dance that's developed in this country has come out of Middle Eastern restaurants, or restaurants that were made out of collections of people from a variety of different countries and cultures that then would share these spaces and musicians would come from a variety of countries.

We'd have a Turkish drummer, an Arabic singer, an Armenian oud player, and there became this collection of songs that would be popular in these little enclaves of culture on the East Coast and on the West Coast, and then that's what led to a lot of really creative but also really disconnected explorations of dance that some people are criticizing now and exploring ideas of cultural appropriation and how do you-- what do you call things, how do you participate respectfully and learn more about styles and differentiate-- what are you doing exactly?

Are you doing Lebanese dance, or are you doing Egyptian dance?

Are you doing a California-based fusion style that comes out of dances influenced from the '70s?

Like, what are you doing?

There's a lot in there.

Kati: It's, like, because dance is so alive and so immediate and so temporary, then it seems like it would be always constantly evolving, but it still has these really rich cultural roots.

There is somewhere it came from.

Let's bring it back to your connections with the community 'cause you're very active all over the community.

Shoshanna: I love creating opportunities for younger children and families in our area to have open-ended, creative possibilities, and I find that locally through the Fairies and through finding ways that can encourage dress-up and creative problem-solving and re-use of materials that are around you and looking at the tiny things that are about and putting on spectacles, having the wings on hand.

I've had lots of fairy flash mobs that have happened in the community in collaboration with Elemental events that Arcata Playhouse puts on or anything that's going on.

If I put out a call for fairies, I can usually get 50 fairies to show up for something, something fun, and their families, and it's been a really sweet, sweet thing, and that got really exciting in 2018.

And in 2019, we had the Arcata's Fairy Festival, which was a full-out art takeover of the plaza.

My collaborator with that was Jeanette Todd, who helped make really amazing, spectacular events happen.

So I use the fairy energy as something to inspire people to dress up, to bring out their favorite things and play and enjoy the community and come up with creative, fun ways to do it.

Kati: Always need more reasons to dress up.

Shoshanna: It seems like people like to have reasons.

I don't really need a reason, and it's great to know people who don't, but there are those who feel like they need a day or an event to celebrate.

Kati: I think that people around here are more inclined to dress up.

When you do these sort of participatory, community things, do you think the personality of Humboldt itself plays into how successful they are?

I don't know anybody else who could say, "If I called, I could get 50 fairies right now."

Shoshanna: I know.

I think that's a special Humboldt County thing.

So just being able to know that those people are going to dress up, they're going to make spectacular things happen, and they're gonna work hard to make it happen and be there and just make ways for people to be able to celebrate big or small ways to be creative and fabulous, and I think that's a Humboldt County thing, and I think it's what draws a lot of people to Humboldt County to participate in those events.

Kati: Can I ask you-- you have such a wonderful and unique personal style.

Can I ask you about your clothes?

Shoshanna: Sure, absolutely.

Kati: I mean, this is a lovely dress, but every time I see you, you're wearing something that has, like, so much style and so much personality.

How does clothing play into what you do?

Shoshanna: I think it's essential to have your wardrobe that makes you feel fantastic, and the way you put things together is such a fun aspect of how you can express yourself on a day-to-day basis, and that's my general philosophy on dressing up.

Kati: Is there somewhere that you want to travel or a dance style that you'd like to learn?

Shoshanna: Well, last year, I went to Egypt.

That was a big bucket list.

That was definitely cleared away at the top part of my list, but I would love to study more Persian dance.

That's something I just really got going on in late February of this year, and I've been trying to continue a bit online.

And Persian dance is a beautiful fusion for me of Middle Eastern dance and ballet 'cause it's another court dance style that is pretty and flowy with beautiful skirts and swirling, and lots of turns and hand movements, so it makes me pretty happy.

Kati: Can you tell us a little bit about the piece you're performing today?

Shoshanna: The piece I'm performing today is called "Sand in Flames," and it is produced and created by my favorite musician, who is Georges Lammam.

Kati: I'm looking forward to it.

Shoshanna: Thank you.

Kati: And Shoshanna, thank you so much for inviting "Studio Space" into Redwood Raks.

Shoshanna: Absolutely.

Thank you for being here.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Peggy Loudon: It's a legacy, and I take it seriously, and when I sign my name on the bottom of every pot, people that own those could pass those on to their children, and their children.

Make sure that every piece, even if it's the humble mug, is still viable and has that not only artistic but ergonomic integrity, so the handle needs to be smooth.

It needs to be comfortable.

It needs to look good.

Yeah, I take that seriously, and I do think about my work in Denmark, my work in Germany, Ireland, New Mexico.

I mean it's here, and people come back and say, "I was at my mom's house in New York, and I picked up a pot, and it was yours.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ David: Today, I'm very excited to be spending time with Peggy Loudon, a potter and ceramic sculptor.

So excited to be hanging out, Peggy.

Peggy: Thank you.

David: Yeah, I thought I would read a little bit from the online blog "Handful of Salt" because I thought it was a great introduction to your work, if you don't mind.

Peggy: I would love that.

David: To humor me.

"Sometimes objects deafen you with their silence.

Walking around at a juried crafts exhibition, there was, as usual, a good deal of visual stimulation.

And then, suddenly, I had one of those movie moments when the noise and the craziness suddenly die away and it's just you and the object of your affection.

In this case, that object was actually a series of vases and bowls, elegantly shaped, quietly sensual, translucent white, with a crackle glaze.

Looking closely, the glaze, so elemental, so organic, sat on top of perfect, delicate, porcelain forms.

Yin and yang.

Rough and smooth.

Diamonds and work boots.

Peggy Loudon, the hands, heart, and brains behind this work, was firing her kiln, getting ready for the prestigious Washington, D.C., Craft Show.

Prestigious craft shows are nothing new to Peggy.

She shows her work across the country and is regularly invited to shows at the juried Smithsonian Craft Show."

I thought that was kind of nice.

Peggy: Wow, who is that?

David: Regina Connell.

Peggy: Yeah.

David: Yeah, so you once said pottery chose you, and you didn't choose pottery.

Can you tell us how pottery chose you?

Peggy: I can try.

It was a visceral, kind of a physical response.

Like, the first time I threw clay, I had never taken an art class ever, and there was something about that connection, you know, the physical connection.

I wasn't very good.

I struggled.

In fact, I tell my students that it took me three weeks just to learn how to center, and I was crying in my car 'cause everybody else could center, and I couldn't, but when I got the pots out of the glaze, I was, you know, transfixed by the glazes, and I didn't pursue it as a career because I didn't-- honestly, I didn't think I could make a living.

So I went in a different direction, but it kept speaking to me-- and everywhere that I ended up moving, Santa Cruz, Napa, there was a wheel and a kiln.

I buy my clay.

I don't make my own clay.

So I grab my bag of clay.

I cut it into fourths, take out the clay, and then what's called "wedging" is removing the air bubbles from the clay.

And depending on what I'm gonna throw that day, I typically start my throwing schedule with larger pieces and then graduate to mugs and smaller forms.

My kiln likes big pieces on the bottom, little things in the middle, and then big pieces on the top, just for the way that the heat is gonna be distributed in the kiln.

So I wedge the clay.

Say, I wedge up five or six balls of clay, get to my wheel, throw the clay down on the wheel and what's called centering, so add a little water and sponge, and I lean over, and I squeeze the clay up and down, up and down into a mountain and then into a patty, like, three or four times until I feel it centered.

That means your hands aren't going around like this...

They're solid.

They're not moving.

You can feel the clay actually in the center of the wheel.

Once it's centered, it's called opening up.

So I put my thumb in, make a small hole, and I pull out a floor.

And this is called the claw.

I claw.

I bring up the clay.

And again, depending on an open form, like a bowl, I would pull the clay out into sort of a V shape.

If it were going to be a vase, a tall form like a cylinder, I would keep the clay snugged in and keep it.

Every pot wants to be a bowl because of centrifugal force.

It wants to go out.

So you have to, you know, physically make sure that you keep it snugged in.

Then you can pull it out if you want later, but when you make a bowl, you just-- you do make it open like that first.

So then I work with different tools.

I work with what are called ribs.

They come in wood, rubber, and metal.

I work with ribs, especially on bowls.

To form the piece, I'm looking at the profile of the piece, typically the outside.

I watch to see how it develops so that it's pleasing to my eye.

If it's a bowl, I like to have a nice, thick lip so that it's strong enough.

It maintains its integrity.

So I try and think practically.

You don't want your rims to chip, so you wanna make sure they're rounded.

And then, when I'm satisfied, when I'm happy, with the form, I cut it off with my wire tool, and then I put it on the shelf, done.

The next day or the day after, depending on how long it takes to dry, I inverted it, flip it over on the wheel, center it, and I have trimming tools that define the outside of what's called the foot, which is the base of the piece, and it kind of elevates the work, and then it makes it easier when you're glazing.

You can hang on to the foot if you want.

You don't have to, but I trim a foot, and sign my name, and I put it on the shelf to dry, and then the final thing is selling them.

So the marketing, you know, going to shows, taking them to stores, galleries, et cetera.

David: Right.

Now, you recently were part of a group exhibition at the Morris Graves Museum, called "Art in Place," which was specifically influenced by the pandemic.

Peggy: Right.

David: Can you tell us a little bit about what you had in that exhibit and that part of your work and how it related to the pandemic?

Peggy: Sure, it was a grant program that I applied to, and I was struck like everybody in March.

I was with my mom, who's 100.

I was frozen.

I didn't know what to do, but I was all different emotions-- scared, worried, and I needed to put that emotion somewhere.

My nephew is an ER doctor in Austin, Texas.

His wife's a pediatrician.

I was thinking about them, and I wanted to make something to honor him.

Before I even knew about the grant, I was making the anatomical hearts with the word "hERo," with the "ER" big for my nephew, and then I read about the grant.

I applied.

I got it, and I just went from there, thinking about the frontline workers, thinking about the delivery person, the grocery clerk, the bus driver.

You know, these people were putting their lives on the line, and I wanted to honor them, the nurses, so I made a series of anatomical hearts with words, like, right over the heart, saying, "courageous," "resilient," "hero," "warrior," to express my appreciation for their work, somehow, so I could translate that depth of emotion into something tangible that could be displayed.

David: Now, you've also, in addition to your creations and your work, you've been teaching for many years.

Peggy: Twenty-one?

David: Yeah, and you have-- locally at the Fire Arts Center, which you have a huge connection to.

Peggy: I do.

David: Can you tell us-- tell us a little bit about Fire Arts and also what it means to be a teacher?

Peggy: Fire Arts is a jewel, to me.

David: Yeah, yeah.

Peggy: Twenty years ago, or I believe it was twenty years ago, Peggy Dickinson-- she's kind of the brainchild behind it-- had an idea of creating a community center where people could transition from HSU.

People that were always interested in ceramics could have a place to go and throw pots and have them fired.

And they asked me to be one of the first teachers.

David: Wow, all the way back in the beginning.

Peggy: I know, yeah, and I had never taught before, and I was nervous.

I didn't have a lot of confidence in how to-- how do you translate something that's so esoteric, that's so personal?

How do you put that into words?

But seat of my pants, I did it, and bless those first students 'cause I sort of, you know, tripped my way through.

But it was, really-- obviously, it's been a great experience, and I've been teaching ever since.

It looks a lot easier when you see somebody on "Sesame Street" throwing a pot, right?

And so--or "Ghost," you know, you see Demi Moore making a pot.

And it's a lot of-- it's humbling, honestly.

It takes a lot of time.

You have to throw your piece.

You have to come back and trim your piece, dry your piece, fire your piece, glaze your piece, have it loaded, have them fire it, so it takes a lot of patience, but the camaraderie-- David: Yeah, it's such a great community down there.

Peggy: It really is.

We end up just laughing.

It's been a beautiful place for me.

It's been healing.

They know everything about my life, you know.

When my father passed, you know, of course, I'm crying, and it's just-- I can be vulnerable there and know that it will be received with love and compassion and support.

David: Yeah, wow, that's great.

Peggy: Yeah.

yeah, I mean, what's not to like?

David: Yeah, for sure.

Peggy: I know.

That's where I go.

David: Yeah, well, what's not to like about spending time with Peggy Loudon and talking about her work?

This has been absolutely a thrill.

Peggy: Oh, well, back at you.

David: I really, really appreciate it.

Peggy: Oh, it's been fun for me too.

Anytime.

David: Yeah, thank you so much.

Peggy: Thank you.

David: And thank you for joining us on "Studio Space."

♪♪♪ David: We hope you enjoyed today's episode.

Kati: To visit more Humboldt County artists and to find out about great shows on local issues, go to keet.org.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ announcer: This activity is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, and by viewers like you.

Thank you.

♪♪♪ CC by Aberdeen Captioning 1-800-688-6621 abercap.com