VanGo Pottery™ Offers Art Enrichment Classes

VanGo Pottery offers art enrichment classes to children of all ages—from preschoolers to middle school and beyond—both during and after school programs. We also offer programs for homeschoolers!

At a recent enrichment class, we presented our preschoolers with fun, age-appropriate information about artist, Jackson Pollock. Then the children were given a pottery “canvas” (in this case, a medium size serving dish) along with a variety of paint and tools so they could paint in the action painting style of Pollock.

The children had great fun squirting, throwing, rolling, and splattering paint at their serving dishes, all the while learning about different painting styles. One child commented to his mommy at pickup, “Mom, this was really fun. I want to do this at home.” After looking at the paint-filled tables and floor, mom replied, “Well honey, this is why we do VanGo Pottery classes. So you can learn and have fun and I don’t have to clean up the mess!”

School and Childcare Facility Directors: Contact your VanGo Pottery representative at 602.468.3136 to learn more about incorporating our enrichment programs into your center.

Parents: Inquire at your child’s school to see if they offer VanGo Pottery enrichment programs.

Homeschoolers: Call us at 602.468.3136 to see how we can tailor an enrichment program to your homeschooling needs.

Invite VanGo Pottery™ to Your Next Mommy and Me Event!

Hey moms, are you looking for a fun activity to do with your Mom and Me Playgroup? Then please consider a pottery painting party with the staff of VanGo Pottery™ as your hosts. We will come to the location of your choice – your home, church, park, community center, you name it! – and provide everything needed to entertain your group with pottery painting fun.

The kiddos can paint plates or other dinnerware items and then embellish them with their very own handprint. The finished pieces not only become beautiful works of art, but are precious heirlooms that can be used and treasured for years to come.

Or we can read one of your favorite stories and then paint an item related to the story. One of our favorites, “Eat Your Peas,” by Kes Gray and Nick Sharratt, is a hilarious story about a mother who tries EVERYTHING to get her daughter to eat her peas, one of which is the promise of ice cream. At the end of the story, moms and kids can get together and paint an ice cream bowl for the special occasions in their lives.

We have lots of ideas and suggestions for your group. Please call our studio at 602.468.3136 for more information.

VanGo Pottery™ Solves the Birthday Party Dilemma!

Looking for something fun and creative to do at your child’s next birthday party? Then consider having a pottery painting party with VanGo Pottery! We will come to the location of your choice and provide everything you need to entertain your guests with pottery painting fun. And with the nice weather upon us, it’s the perfect time to plan an outdoor party in your backyard or at your favorite park.

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes!

One of our most popular birthday party packages allows you to choose from a huge assortment of boxes. The boxes come in a variety of shapes and are not only fun to paint, but are great for storing your child’s favorite trinkets and knick knacks. The cost is $15 - $20 per box (plus tax) and includes all of the following:

• Choice of box
• Use of our paints, glazes, and design tools
• Staff assistance for up to 2 hours
• Cleanup
• Glazing and firing
• Delivery of your finished pieces

And with no studio fees, moms and dads can help children paint their pieces at no additional charge.

For an additional fee, our staff will help the birthday child and his or her guests decorate a dinner-size birthday plate to commemorate the occasion.

For more information and to book your party, please call 602.468.3136.

Thrift Store Inspiration

Recently, I was with a friend engaging in one of my favorite past times: thrift store shopping. If you’re like me, you don’t need a reason to shop in thrift stores. It’s simply fun to browse through aisle after aisle of knickknacks and whatnots that others no longer want with the goal of finding a hidden treasure at a fraction of the original cost.

During this particular outing, I came across a small ceramic goblet that caught my eye. It quickly went from merely “eye catching” to “must have.” Though the photo in this article doesn’t do it justice (I blame it on poor lighting and a crummy cell phone camera), it does provide a semblance of what my new found treasure looked like.

The goblet was quite small, only a few inches tall by a few inches wide. The colors consisted of varying shades of blues and browns with a whimsical, fish-like object on either side. It was truly a fun little piece that was worthy of shelf space on the curio in my family room.

As I was applauding myself for having found such a cute piece at such a great price—$2 during the half-off sale—my friend pointed out a chip in the goblet’s rim. It wasn’t a huge chip, but the goblet was so small that the chip became significant. Rats! I found myself trying to overlook the defect and thinking of how I could display it so that the chip would not be seen.

Just as I had convinced myself, again, that I should make the purchase, my friend took it from me and politely advised me against it. She told me I could make one myself—a better one! One with no chip. And in true friend fashion, she went on to “remind” me about my artistic abilities and talent. And with that, the decision was made. I am now in the process of making my own cute little goblet (perhaps, a series) and all it took was a little inspiration from a thrift store find and the gentle nudging of a wonderful friend.