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Ceramic showcase honors PCC's Schwab
Photos and story by James Hill
ROCK CREEK CAMPUS – The Oregon Potters Association honored Portland Community College ceramics instructor Wally Schwab with the Bennett Welsh Award at the 21st Annual Ceramics Showcase event at the Oregon Convention Center in May.
Schwab, a resident of Aloha, was honored for a surface decoration on a 25-inch stoneware platter (pictured in digital file). Ceramics Monthly Magazine featured his awarding-winning piece in the October edition. Schwab, an OPA member since 1981, says the Showcase helps potters get noticed."The community has supported the Oregon potters in such a positive way and that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of such an event,"Schwab said. "It is like nothing else that I have ever been involved with."The Ceramics Showcase was one of the largest non-juried, all-clay shows in the nation this year and attracted more than 10,000 visitors. It featured demonstrations by 15 ceramists and booths of more than 400 exhibitors.Schwab teaches basic fundamentals and advanced ceramics at the Rock Creek Campus. Schwab is in his 14th year as a PCC instructor and said the ceramics program has grown to serve more than 150 students a term."We started with nothing and we have a thriving program,"Schwab said. "It is very gratifying for me."Asked how long he’ll continue to be an instructor, he says, "I’ll teach until they come and carry me away."For more information on his award, contact Schwab at 503-614-7248.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »