I’m a potter, and I am fundraising to make a dream come true in a small village far away, – says Dee Harris. “It’s a dream I share with my friends, Alex Paton, Bishop Isaiah, Tim Sherman and Kevin Crowe. We want to build a modern, wood-fired ‘train’ kiln in the tiny village of Zemo Nikozi in central Georgia. Please donate to become a ‘Nikozi Clay Angel,’ and help us build this kiln!”
The majority of the money raised will go to buying materials: bricks, kiln shelves, framing iron, refractory concrete, tools, wood posts, beams and roofing, to construct the kiln and a protective shed, she tells us.
“Part of the money raised will also cover travel and living costs for Alex Paton and Kevin Crowe to be there to oversee the kiln’s construction and the first firing of the new kiln. We will all volunteer our time, and we will be joined by local volunteers as well in order to get the kiln built,” Dee says.
For those of you who care about handicraft, and pottery in particular, this is truly a chance to be part of the history of ceramics in the country of Georgia. The Nikozi woodfiring kiln will be the first modern-design train kiln built in that country.
This kiln will be built next to a small ceramics studio (currently under renovation) near the monastery where Bishop Isaiah resides and works, and just down the road from the children’s arts education center that he built to provide inspiration and hope to local residents.
A kiln will allow Bishop Isaiah to expand the impact of the arts education center, encourage increased hope in an economically struggling village, and hopefully spark the rebirth of a local crafts/pottery tradition in a region suffering from chronic poverty and hopelessness.
“It’s my passion project, all of ours really,” Dee says. “And I know we are all honored by the chance to help Bishop Isaiah fulfill this vision, and it will benefit many deserving children and local craftspeople. All funds raised will go 100% to getting this kiln built and running. If we are so lucky as to raise any surplus funds, those will be invested into potter’s wheels and other crucial equipment to furnish the ceramics studio once it has been fully renovated. Not a penny will go to waste!”
Nikozi Clay Cherubs – $5 to $45 donation
Nikozi Clay Angels – $50 to $100 donation
Nikozi Clay Archangels – $101 to $500 donation
Once you’ve made your donations, all donors will be kept up to date with regular photo and video updates from the project as the build progresses. In addition:
• Clay Cherubs will get a Nikozi postcard, signed by members of the build team!
• Clay Angels will receive a postcard and one brick on the kiln will be inscribed with their name in thanks for your generosity!
• Clay Archangels will have a brick inscribed with their name, will receive one piece of pottery from the first kiln firing, and will be offered a short video tour of the kiln and monastery, hosted by Bishop Isaiah and the build team!
“And Archangel-level donors are welcome to have a guided tour of the kiln and ceramics center, when completed, the next time they visit Nikozi,” Dee says.
An important note: Bishop Isaiah is truly a remarkable person, and a community hero in every sense of the word. In addition to creating the children’s arts center that keeps the community vital, he has rebuilt his monastery twice – once following the 2008 invasion – and he also runs an annual International Animated Film Festival in his village, which attracts prominent animators and film directors from around the world! His efforts have truly provided life-giving energy and opportunity to the people in his region.
Please join in making his dream and vision for Nikozi a reality!
