Organizers of the annual Tampa Tour de Clay have announced that the event won’t be held this year.
Last year, the annual tour used a hybrid approach, allowing visitors to meet personally with artists and to also view pottery pieces virtually.
This year, the organizers decided it would be more prudent to postpone the event until December 2022.
The organizers explained why they would not be holding the annual Tampa Bay showcase for pottery and pottery artists.
“While we are encouraged to see the Covid-19 rate of infection continue to drop, our members felt it was still too risky to host a crowded indoor event, without the ability to require face coverings, putting you, our valued patrons and your families, at risk,” the news release says.
“The pandemic has been very challenging emotionally, economically and health-wise for so many, and the artists who make up the Tampa Bay Tour de Clay are no different. If anything, we are a microcosm of the struggles artists across the nation have faced,” the release adds.
The group’s 15 core members include those who earn their income and supported their families by traveling to juried outdoor festivals, showing their work in local galleries, working as graphic designers, owning galleries and art studios, and teaching.
Some of the members show their work only at Tampa Tour de Clay, the release adds.
“All the artists have struggled to create revenue when art festivals were cancelled, and galleries were shuttered. Each navigating the constantly changing rules, all the while taking into consideration the risks to their children, grandchildren and/or elderly parents in their care,” the release adds.
The group hopes to resume the annual event next year, on the weekend of Dec. 10 and Dec. 11, 2022.
While the pandemic goes on, the artists also have continued to create their works.
These pottery artists — William Kidd, Ira Burhans, Jack Boyle, Michel Ginouves and Glenn Woods — will have a limited number of pieces available for purchase, at San Antonio Pottery, 11903 Curley St., in San Antonio.
To find out more about the Tampa Tour de Clay, visit TampaTourDeClay.com.
Published Nov. 24, 2021
