Meet Julie Hinson | Potter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Hinson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My full time pottery practice and art studio-Outer Loop Arts- were both birthed out of the pandemic. In early 2020 my now business partner and I were both sharing a tiny studio space downtown, struggling to figure out how to work our messy crafts out of a small dusty space. When the pandemic hit and we both were out of our regular gigs we scrambled to figure out what was next and how we could sustain working in the arts outside of our homes during those uncertain times. It was this scramble that birthed Outer Loop Arts, we found an empty warehouse space and with the help of the community and our friends we put together what is now our thriving art studio. It was during this time that I transitioned into teaching full time pottery classes and making as many pots as I could, I’m sure that had it not been for the pandemic and the loss of my restaurant gig it would have taken me many more years to move into full-time art making. Running the art studio and my pottery business has been the most exciting and terrifying chapter of growth in my life. I have learned so much about what it takes to run a business, but also about myself, and my art and my community, this has opened up Durham in a whole new way for me and allowed me to foster arts education and appreciation in deeper and more meaningful ways.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being an artist full-time was never something I had envisioned for my life. In my mid twenties I had the opportunity to apprentice with a fifth generation potter in Seagrove, NC, and very quickly fell in love with the craft of pottery. For me in many ways it was the community that gathered around pots and wood-kilns that convinced me I had to dedicate at least a part of my life to clay. Clay to me is in many way deeply political, both in the histories that are embodied within clay but also the communities and stories that can be told through clay. Much of my work focuses on the body, specifically women’s bodies and the ways the world tells the story of woman, what is expected of us and what is not. Clay I think is a wonderful way to explore this story, the variations, the ever changing nature, the creation of life and object, in women as in clay.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a Durham girl at heart, born and raised in Downtown Durham this city has always held my heart. Whenever folks come to visit walking around downtown and eating at some of the amazing restaurants here are top of the list, as well as venturing into Hayti and eating at Chicken Shack and visiting the Hayti Heritage Center. Going to the Eno River is also always top of my list, hiking along the banks and swimming in the waters always centers me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Two women have supported, mentored and encouraged me more than I could have ever imagined over the last two years. First is my business partner and dear friend Kelley Triplett of Vestas Apothecary. Kelley is my business partner and without her I would not have been able to conceptualize and open Outer Loop Arts. Her level head, creativity and get-it-done attitude have been instrumental in running our business and in teaching me how to be a better person and business woman.

Secondly is Delores Farmer of Delores Pottery Studios. Delores is an amazing long-time potter here in Durham who created the clay program at Liberty Arts and has since opened her own pottery studios in East Durham. Delores showed me what is possible as a full time potter, inspires me every day with her beautiful work and dedicated work ethic. Were it not for her I doubt I would be able to teach full time or envision a future focused on pots and sharing pottery knowledge.

Delores and I are currently opening a pop-up gallery featuring our favorite pots. Find us for the month of November at 111 East Main Street in Durham!

Website: www.piedmontclayworks.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/piedmontclayworks/

Image Credits
All photos by Alexandria Lassiter- Copperkey Photo