St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour
This weekend: Handmade tableware is a deep-dish Minnesota tradition that's especially cherished in the St. Croix Valley. For the past 24 years, seven potters have opened their valley studios for a three-day show-and-sell over Mother's Day weekend. This year the hosts invited professional pals from 16 states plus Norway and Jamaica to join them. Teapots of earthy rusticity will jostle for attention with whimsical scenes, abstract designs and Asian-influenced glazes on cups and vases, platters, plates and pitchers. Jenny Mendes of Chesterland, Ohio, made the little cup shown here. Nestled in woodsy ravines, renovated farms and on hilltops overlooking the St. Croix River, most studios are within an hour's drive of the metro area and can be visited in one day or several. (10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. Free. minnesotapotters.com.)
Mary Abbe
