photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

Ron Schmidt shakes a ceramic rattle on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, at the Lawrence Potters' Guild's temporary gallery space on Massachusetts Street.

In a typical year, Ron Schmidt and the 30-member Lawrence Potters’ Guild do a show at Maceli’s, one at Trinity Lutheran Church, a couple outside the Lawrence Public Library.

“Last time we had a [show] at the library, the wind came up and blew a whole display over,” he says. Thousands of dollars worth of work was destroyed – a tragedy for a group that makes art mainly in their spare time.

They won’t have to worry about that for their new show, because the Potters’ Guild – for at least a month – has its own indoor gallery right on Massachusetts Street.

“We’re used to doing one-day shows on the lawn of the library three times a year,” Schmidt said. So with an opportunity like this, “we love it. It’s great.”

It’s possible thanks to the property owners, who also own the Red Lyon Tavern next door, and thanks to a nonprofit program called OpenStudios Lawrence, which pairs artists with landlords to turn vacant commercial spaces into temporary art galleries. OpenStudios currently has two galleries in downtown Lawrence: this one at 938 Massachusetts St., and the Lawrence Percolator, in the space next to Liberty Hall at Seventh and Mass. that used to house Squishington’s.

Lauren Bass, a volunteer with OpenStudios, said her group hopes there will eventually be more than just two.

“The main thing is just getting more landlords on board and more people involved,” Bass said. “… There’s so many empty spaces downtown, and if they could be turned into a space for more of this, wouldn’t that be so special?”

Schmidt is grateful to the Red Lyon’s owners for taking part in OpenStudios and letting artists into the vacant storefront. “They certainly didn’t have to,” he said.

But Bass said that OpenStudios tries to make the process as easy as possible for both artists and property owners. She calls it “a nice win-win.”

For the landlords, OpenStudios provides support for expenses such as utility payments and insurance while the gallery is in the space. The property owner doesn’t really have to do anything but open up their vacant space, Bass said: “From their perspective, it’s really just about, ‘Let me get involved, let me reach out and provide that space,’ and they don’t have to worry.”

They also get more exposure, as people considering where to locate their business can come in and see the storefront in use.

“It’s providing local space for artists, and it’s giving landlords the benefit of people seeing the spaces and being able to imagine what it would be like to have their business in that space and have people in the space,” Bass said.

photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

A clay raven sits in a cage on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, at the Lawrence Potters’ Guild’s temporary gallery space on Massachusetts Street.

The artists selected through OpenStudios’ juried process, meanwhile, get a rent-free space where they can display whatever kind of work they want, free from the requirements that traditional art galleries often require artists to follow. “Kind of our mission with OpenStudios is very much leaving it up to the artist to really do with the space what they want and provide a space for artists to have freedom,” Bass said.

If the landlord doesn’t find a new tenant, the artists can usually have the space for around 3 months, Bass said. But they also get an assurance that they won’t have to immediately vacate if the property is leased to someone.

Right now, the owners of the 938 Mass. space have multiple offers on their lease, Schmidt said, but property owners who participate in OpenStudios agree to give the artists a notice period, typically 30 days, before a new tenant moves in. So, while the guild doesn’t know how long it will be here, it will at least be here through Nov. 8, and will be able to take advantage of the foot traffic from Final Friday art walk on Oct. 30.

“Worst-case scenario, you have at least one month to have an amazing sale, like one long art fair,” Bass said.

“And if I win the lottery, I’m gonna buy the lease,” Schmidt jokes. “I got a lottery ticket yesterday; I’ll try.”

On its first day on Thursday, the gallery had lots of functional pieces – bowls, mugs, a pour-over coffee maker – but also a rack of earrings and necklaces, a clay raven in a cage, animal-shaped rattles that barely feel like clay and a bear figurine covered in glow-in-the-dark constellations.

photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

Clay figurines sit on a shelf on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, at the Lawrence Potters’ Guild’s temporary gallery space on Massachusetts Street.

photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

Lawrence Potters’ Guild President Belinda Baker shows off pieces in the guild’s temporary gallery space on Massachusetts Street on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.

The president of the guild, Belinda Baker, said the goal for this gallery is to get the community more familiar with the guild and the diverse kinds of work it does. The space is divided into a gallery up front and a workspace in the back, with tables where members of the guild can work on their pieces in public view.

“The philosophy is just, ‘share art with everybody,'” Baker said.

And, despite the name, the guild’s work is not just pottery. Most of its members work in multiple media, Baker said; “we mingle in all the arts.” So, you can find some of Bass’ vivid green nature-inspired paintings, treasurer Janet Akers’ woodcarving of a mother bird, even some mixed-media works.

photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

Lawrence Potters’ Guild treasurer Janet Akers’ woodcarving of a family of birds is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, at the Lawrence Potters’ Guild’s temporary gallery space on Massachusetts Street.

Schmidt said Bass’ paintings were part of the gallery that was previously in the storefront, and that when the Potters’ Guild came to look at the space, they told her, “We want you to leave your paintings.” From there, Bass thought it would be interesting to learn more about ceramic art, and so she became the guild’s newest member.

She plans to make some sculptural work about themes similar to those of her paintings: “the boundary between the human body and nature.” And the art forms can cross over, too, with sculpture serving as a reference for her painting, or a painted image adorning a ceramic piece.

As for Schmidt himself, he’s into making works with multiple coats of glazes, like a bowl that started with a black glaze and then had several more layers of color applied on top of it. He doesn’t use a wheel, preferring instead to just shape slabs of clay by hand.

photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

Ron Schmidt holds one of his slab pottery works on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, at the Lawrence Potters’ Guild’s temporary gallery space on Massachusetts Street.

The group’s members are mostly either retired or work other jobs. “This is a pastime for most of us,” Schmidt said, and “none of us are making our living from the arts.”

But they think it’s important to help those who do want to pursue art as a career. Schmidt said 10% of each sale goes into the guild’s treasury, which helps fund scholarships for fine arts students.

If you’re a ceramics artist and want to join the Lawrence Potters’ Guild, you can email lawrencepottersguild@gmail.com or come by the storefront at 938 Massachusetts St.

And, if you’re an artist or a landlord and are interested in participating in the OpenStudios project, you can go to openstudioslawrence.org for more information.

“Something like OpenStudios is only going to survive if people support it,” Schmidt said.

photo by: Sylas May/Journal-World

A ceramic coffee maker is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, at the Lawrence Potters’ Guild’s temporary gallery space on Massachusetts Street.