A view of the Selkirk College Kootenay School of the Arts building from Victoria and Josephine Street in Nelson.
A Response to Selkirk College’s Closure of Kootenay Studio Arts
by Eden DuPont
Open up any kitchen cupboard in the West Kootenay region and you are bound to find an assemblage of handmade mugs, bowls that don’t perfectly stack, even plates if you are lucky.
For so many of us, that handmade mug is the most cherished object we reach for each morning to start our day. Whether we prefer to fill it with coffee or tea, matcha or hot cocoa, inherently we believe it somehow makes the beverage taste better, and the ritual more meaningful.
Head to any market in Nelson and you will find several booths boasting functional and decorative crockery made of earthenware, stoneware and porcelain, complete with an array of glaze techniques, illustrated decals, colours and surfaces to choose from. All made by hand.
Pottery making and interest in handmade ceramics is definitely trending recently, perhaps due to a desire for handmade, authentic items and their benefits for mental well-being. Clay studios and ceramics clubs are popping up and pottery classes for the general public, offering hand-building and throwing workshops for kids, teens and adults, quickly fill up.
MUD Ceramics club in Nelson offers classes for all demographics, studio drop-ins and kiln firing services. eARTh Studios has open studio and membership options for clay enthusiasts and OVO Ceramics offers group and private classes. In the East Kootenay the Cranbrook Arts Pottery Studio offers Clay Time studio memberships that provide access to space and equipment beyond classes, as does the ArtsStation in Fernie, which offers both annual and drop-in access options.
But the significance of ceramics and art education is not simply a trend in this region, it is part of the cultural landscape that has helped Nelson earn its reputation as the best small arts town in Canada. The origins of art education began in 1958 with the opening of the Nelson School of Fine Arts, which soon thereafter became known as the Kootenay School of Art when an application was made to the provincial government for funding, thereby becoming the first provincial post-secondary school of art in B.C. in 1961.
For the past 65 years, now called Kootenay Studio Arts (KSA) at Selkirk College, the school has maintained its reputation as a leader in arts education, offering a curriculum with an intensive studio focus, and an emphasis on preparing students to make a living through their art and craft. KSA is one of the only programs in Canada that offers this unique focus on developing strong studio skills, while other arts programs include more academic course offerings in their foundation curriculum. As far as ceramics goes, KSA’s tradition of offering a program that celebrates functional pottery has resulted in a steady stream of makers emerging from the school and the school boasts an illustrious list of alumni who have gone on to become leaders in the field of contemporary ceramics across Canada.
However, Selkirk College has made the decision to withdraw all Kootenay Studio Arts programs including Ceramics, Textiles and Metal. In July of 2026, KSA will close its doors.
Robin DuPont, former KSA student and current faculty member at the school in the ceramics department, is a beneficiary of KSA’s studio-focused programming. Having attended KSA in the early years of his training, Robin went on to study at four different institutions in three different countries but was eventually drawn back to the Kootenays to set up his full-time studio practice.
As an educator and mentor, Robin has taught at numerous institutions across Canada and the United States, and since assuming a faculty position at Selkirk College, the program has been full each year, with a waiting list. His teaching has reinvigorated the program, inspiring the next generation of potters to produce work of exceptional quality.
The news of KSA’s closure has come as a shock to the students, teachers and arts community in this region, particularly as just this year the ceramics program was expanded, due to strong demand. A new Advanced Certificate in Ceramics program just opened five spaces to returning clay students in a pilot program for the 2025–26 school year. Two of those returning students, Ella Strongman and Jenna Weichnik, jumped at the chance of another year in the studio, having completed the 10-month certificate in 2024–25. “I feel like the first-year program is all about learning the skills,” explains Ella, “and this year will give me the time and space to put all those elements together.”
“Many of the students that graduate from the KSA ceramic program go on to find work in community studios as technicians and teachers. It’s often the next steppingstone in their ceramic careers,” says DuPont.
DuPont emphasizes the impact this closure will have. “For every KSA student that has gone on to open a studio of their own, there are twice as many that instead become appreciators of craft, contributing to the economy with their purchasing power, and utilizing their problem-solving creative skills in many sectors.”
The arts are not just extracurricular—they are foundational to how we understand the world, engage with others and imagine new possibilities. If we fail to support the arts, we risk losing the perspectives that make our society vibrant and innovative. There is no doubt in this rapid age of screen fatigue and the terrorization of artificial intelligence, that the meaningful engagement of clay will continue to prove a grounding experience for uncertain times.
Head back to your cupboard now, and try to imagine it devoid of those handmade objects. If institutions are forced into cutting arts programs because of budget constraints, know they are also obstructing the launchpad for creative careers, stifling spaces where diverse voices are nurtured and will leave a bad taste in our mouths if forced to drink from Styrofoam cups.
The hope? As technology accelerates, so will the appetite for handcrafted authenticity. Stay ahead of the trend and support arts education however you can.
Eden DuPont is a writer, arts advocate and ardent clay enthusiast. Through contract, board and volunteer capacities, she writes, edits and fuels her personal interest in contributing to the arts & culture sector. Whether she is stoking the wood kiln, baking a pie or wordsmithing an article, DuPont is passionate about sustainable living, supporting creative economies and embodying a life of clay.
