St. Croix Pottery Festival

This 26th annual event happens to coincide with Mother's Day, which means that you can simply take Mom on a self-guided tour featuring 62 potters at seven studios. Each studio is within a 5- to 15-minute drive of one another, several located near the St. Croix River. Potters from around the country, and a few from England, are invited to be guests of the studios. The designs of Sue Tirrell, who'll be at Guillermo Cuellar's studio, are inspired by her love of animals and life experiences on the West Coast and Montana; in one dish, two black bunnies bow toward each other on a bed of flowers and plants. Jane Shellenbarger, a guest at Linda Christianson's studio, melds historical references with domestic objects, such as a dinner tray. There are plenty of handcrafted bowls, mugs, vases, plates and other utilitarian pieces for sale. Golf carts are available to take visitors up steep driveways at some studios. See minnesotapotters.com/map for details. (10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun.)

ALICIA ELER