Our History

The year was 1981. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were wed in a lavish ceremony. Calgary was awarded the Fifteenth Olympic Winter Games. And right here in London Ontario , another beginning had taken place when a small group of people, united by a shared passion for pottery, gathered to form a new organization called the London Potters Guild.

Those present at the first General Meeting of the London Potters Guild on October 4, 1981 included Vaughn Stewart, Guild President; Mary Haggis, Secretary; Linda Hendry, Newsletter & Publicity Editor and Kae Bee, Treasurer.

In 2006, the London Potters Guild celebrated with enthusiasm and gratitude its 25th Anniversary.

On the Move

In its early days, the London Potters Guild did not have a permanent facility. Members met first in a bingo hall and for a number of years in the art room of Banting Secondary School.

In 1991, the Guild moved into its first real home with the opening of the East Lions Artisans Centre, a building the London Potters Guild shares with several artisan groups. The Guild partnered with other arts groups to make this dream a reality, researching clay art facilities, locating a suitable building, raising funds and working with the city's recreation department to develop plans for building improvements. The Artisans Centre contains a permanent pottery studio with potter’s wheels, a kiln room, glazes, a slab roller and space where guild members are free to create.

Since the opening of its permanent studio in 1991, the London Potters Guild has introduced scores of students to the clay arts. The Artisans Centre has become a focal point for Guild activities -- a place where studio members can develop their skills and interact with fellow Guild members.

World Class

Objects created by guild members are found in collections around the world, and potters from the London Potters Guild have been inspired through study and travels to such places as New Zealand, the United States, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, China, Belgium, France, Holland, Brazil, England, Scotland and Switzerland, to name a few.

One piece of pottery, a clay mug crafted by founding member Mary Haggis (pictured at left) even found its way to the White House.

In 1999, First Lady Nancy Reagan was making a guest appearance on the television show “The Facts of Life,” which was produced by Mary’s son, Oscar Winning Screenwriter Paul Haggis. According to the London Free Press, Reagan was “so delighted with the personalized coffee mug Haggis had made especially for her that she asked permission to take it back to the White House with her.”