Mary Fox Legacy Project Society
The Mary Fox Legacy Project is an initiative created to provide opportunities for young potters to develop their skills and acquire the tools needed to embark on a career in the ceramic arts. The Legacy Project is designed to help the young potters of today through a 2-year apprenticeship program, and the potters of the future through a residency program following Mary’s passing.
Legacy Project Apprenticeship Program
The Mary Fox Legacy Project started a 2-year apprenticeship program at the pottery in 2020. The program is based on traditional apprenticeships where the potter learns to recreate the head potter’s tableware amongst a myriad of other studio jobs.
For the first year the apprentice is not to make any of their own work, they are to be focused on learning to throw and glaze the tableware. It is not the easiest thing to create another person’s forms, it takes a certain kind of focus and mindset. You have to put aside your ego, all that you have learned in relation to your own forms and step into another’s shoes, so to speak.
In the second year, the apprentice is afforded one week a month to start developing their own work. At the beginning of the year, they are to present a set of drawings illustrating the line of work they wish to create and the type of glaze firing they would like to do it in. Both the gas and the electric kiln will be available to the apprentice. To date the apprentices have chosen to explore cone 6 oxidation as that is what they will have available when they graduate from the program.
The apprentice will receive mentorship from Mary as well as a monthly honorarium during their two years. Currently the society has a goal of purchasing housing for the apprenticeship and future residency program. However, we are not there yet and until housing has been obtained the apprentice will have to find their own accommodation.
Presently, the royalties from the sale of Mary’s books are being donated to the apprenticeship program. Once our goal of securing housing is reached the royalties will be deposited into the endowment fund. If you would like to help us in attaining our goal, you can donate to the housing fund by clicking the button below. Your donation is greatly appreciated by the potters and Mary.
The apprenticeship program is for Canadian citizens and permanent residents only. Applicants must have basic throwing and glazing skills. Applications for the 2026/27 position open June 1, 2025 till June 30, 2025. In your covering letter please include why you would like to be considered, how you feel this would be of benefit to you along with some background on your pottery experience to date and photos of your work. Two references are also required. Applicants that have been selected for stage 2 will be asked to come for an in person interview by July 15th. If you would like more information on the program please send me an email and I will forward a more in depth description on to you. Your application can be sent to maryfoxsociety@gmail.com
Legacy Project Residency Program Endowment Fund
In an effort to help the potters of tomorrow, the Mary Fox Legacy Project will run an Artist in Residence program following her passing. Artists will be offered a two-year residency opportunity (with an option to extend for a third year) to develop their skills and experience life as a studio potter in an integrated studio, gallery and home in Ladysmith, British Columbia. The artist in residence will benefit from accommodation, full access to the pottery studio, and use of the gallery to sell their work. Resident artists will be responsible for their supplies, utility costs, and keeping the pottery open to the public, while other building and maintenance costs will be borne by the project.
We have set up an endowment fund 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. The principal from this fund can never be touched but the money made from investments ensures longevity and security. 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. Help the potters of tomorrow and donate to the endowment fund by clicking the button below.
To learn more about the beginnings of the Legacy Project click here or to purchase “My Life as a Potter” click here.