A lot of great ideas start with a dream; the Legacy Project is one of them. I have worked as a potter all my life, earning my living from what I create with my hands. It is a challenge to earn a living as an artist, especially in the early years. When I was younger, it was difficult to find a place to rent that could accommodate a studio and a landlord willing to let you install a kiln. I always managed to find studio spaces, but often they were dark basement rooms, not places that inspired creativity. I felt fortunate to have any studio space all, but I still fantasized about the day I would own a house and have the studio/gallery of my dreams.
This is how my dream began.
Late one night I was chatting with my wife about the difficulties inherent in the young artist’s life when she asked me, “What would have made things easier for you?”
“Oh, that’s easy” I replied, “a low-cost, equipped studio where I could also sell what I was creating.” And then the conversation took off!
Not long after our chat my wife died and I embarked on the beginnings of the Legacy Project, rebuilding the home we had shared for 16 years. During that time I had worked in the small garage attached to our house. I loved my little studio; it was the nicest space I had worked in up to that point. It was ground level, with Dutch doors that could be opened on nice days so I could look out onto the street. However, it was small and very crowded with all the equipment and, of course, the pots! I was selling my work at a steady rate out of my studio but there wasn’t enough room to display all that I was making. I started to envision my dream studio, gallery, and home, and the idea of lifting my house slowly began to take form. With the Legacy Project in mind, I made a floor plan of what my ideal studio would look like, and in August 2011, the house was lifted and construction began.
Mary Fox Pottery being built from the bones of the old house. The beginning of the Legacy Project.
Now, years later, when you walk in the front door, you enter into a beautiful gallery. From there you can see through to the creation room and you are welcome to go in and explore further. Then to one side is the entrance to the old studio which has now become the kiln room.
That is the part of the house that is open to the public. Upstairs has been designed as an open plan kitchen/living room with lots of built-in shelves to display the Mary Fox Collection. There is also a photography room with more shelving to display work and a desk area. Everything a potter needs to work and document the work is on-site.
The final floor is the loft, a beautiful space where I can retreat at the end of a long day. This is the house that I built with the Legacy Project and the rest of my working years in mind.
April 19th: See the CBC interview & article »
How can you help with this Endeavour?
We have set up an endowment fund and a fund that can be used to help build the project. These funds are through the Vancouver Foundation and the Craft Council of B.C. so that when you donate you can receive a tax receipt. We also encourage you to consider leaving a percentage of your estate to the Mary Fox Legacy Project Society so that we can raise enough funds to support this project well into the future. Thank you for considering being a part of this exciting and important project to help young potters on their creative path.
