State, community help LCCC secure new pottery wheels

Ashley O’Connor, an art major at Laramie County Community College, loves ceramics. 

“I like the hands-on experience because I'm a very artsy person,” she said. “We've had art going back to the first humans. With ceramics, being able to still do things that people did a long, long time ago, I think it connects history.”

O’Connor, who is from Cheyenne and in her third semester at LCCC, spoke while hunched over a new Brent pottery wheel in the college’s Fine Arts Building. The wheel is one of 14 new wheels recently purchased by the LCCC Art Department thanks to a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund in conjunction with the college’s Life Enrichment programs. 

The Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, was established in 1998 by the Wyoming Legislature to preserve and promote the state's unique cultural heritage. It provides grant funding to support a wide range of arts and cultural projects, from visual and performing arts to historic preservation and cultural tourism. The fund helps Wyoming institutions and nonprofit organizations foster the appreciation and protection of the state's cultural and historic resources, with all grants requiring a dollar-for-dollar match from the recipients.

“We’re fortunate to have partners in the state of Wyoming who understand the value of the creative economy,” said Michael Lange, LCCC Fine and Performing Arts Program director. “People in our communities, young and old, want a strong arts culture. Having our academic and Life Enrichment courses and all of our arts programming at LCCC make our community a stronger and better place to live. Making sure LCCC has great programs with quality facilities and equipment helps keep the arts alive across the state and in our region.”

Upgrading and expanding the ceramic offerings is part of adapting to LCCC students’ needs for successful transfer to the college’s partner programs in the region, said Ron Medina, LCCC art instructor. LCCC’s facilities are too small to accommodate a comparable number of the art program’s previously held pottery wheels, which were larger. Programmatic changes at the University of Wyoming, however, meant it would be important for LCCC’s Art Program to have room for 20 appropriate wheels for the studio space. With six Brent pottery wheels already in the inventory, the grant allowed for the purchase of another 14, all fitting into LCCC’s art facilities.

“The new Brents take up a lot less space,” Ron said. “We have them all the way around the periphery of the room. We have enough for exactly 20 students at 20 wheels at any time.”

The new space-efficient wheels, Ron said, not only fulfill LCCC’s academic requirements but also create opportunities for broader community engagement and growth on campus. LCCC's Life Enrichment programs offer a wide range of in-person and online courses, including in the arts, allowing community members of all ages and backgrounds to explore new creative interests and enhance their personal growth.

Additionally, Ron pointed out that the wheels can be used for philanthropic endeavors such as the Cheyenne Empty Bowl fundraiser. Organized by Volunteers of America Northern Rockies, this year’s event was held at Laramie County Community College and aimed to generate support for the organization’s programs. Attendees enjoyed music, games and a variety of soups donated by community members. The soup was served in handcrafted bowls that participants could take home. Proceeds from the event went directly toward VOA’s services, which assist thousands of individuals and families in achieving stability. Local sponsors, including First Interstate Bank and Reiman Corp., made the event possible.

“Contributing ceramics to the Empty Bowl fundraiser is just one of the things that we can do with the new wheels that also goes back into the community,” Ron said. 

The task of acquiring the wheels was truly a testimony to community involvement, Ron said. Tamara Rodgers, a former LCCC and the owner of Silver Sage Ceramics, is Cheyenne’s local

ceramics vendor and assisted with the purchase, delivery, warranty matters and the set up the wheels.

“It’s been a group effort, all the way around,” Ron said. 

To learn more about the Communication & Creative Arts Pathway at LCCC, go to lccc.wy.edu/pathways/CommunicationCreative or contact Pathway Coordinator J O’Brien at jobrien@lccc.wy.edu or 307.778.1368. Go to culturaltrust.wyo.gov to learn more about the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund.