Page 18 - the Noise July 2016

potter by day, local by niGht the Wheel of a consummate artist
potter by luck as she calls it, Joni Pevarnik, Manager of the Artists’ Gallery and local Flagstaff resident for “roughly two decades” has left her mark in the community over the years and watched the evolution of an industry.
The artist’s passion for her little mountain town is fueled by the artistic connection and receptiveness found in the locals and the support the galleries find in one another. From being a player in opening the first cooperative fine art gallery downtown, to witnessing a heavier art presence speckle San Francisco Street, Mrs. Pevarnik attributes this success to the locals and only sees great improvements from here.
One of her earliest memories as an artist was in high school when she suddenly began making art with a pottery class. At that age, if there was a way to get out of riding the bus home, you took it! And as she found herself waiting for her ride one day, she wound up in an art class. The instructor told her, “If you’re going to sit around here, you’re going to have to make something.” From there he encouraged her to take sculpture and taught her how to build kilns and dig clay.
“He introduced me to art,” Mrs. Pevarnik says.
Since the age of 17, she has been working with what she calls the “fundamentally hum- bling” material. The artist gives clay this characteristic because even with all the energy and time put into making a piece of pottery, it is left up to the kiln to finish the job.
“The whole cycle of making stuff, gives you some kind of purpose in life. I think as long as people have purpose in their life, they tend to be happier. It’s that kind of connection with something other than yourself and I kind of feel that way about art. You’re putting a bit of yourself out in the world,” Mrs. Pevarnik expresses, “Having passion is really a good thing.”
The consummate potter, she has been in the business full-time since 1982, and with all this experience under her belt, she feels very comfortable in what she does. Over the years, she has built up a clientele of local buyers who have now passed their interest in Mrs. Pe- varnik’s pottery onto their children. It is these individuals who feel this connection with handmade items who keep her dream a reality.
Although the artist participates in craft fairs all across the state, she says Flagstaff is es- pecially nurturing. Her first taste of this was when she moved from Colorado to Flagstaff in 1976 to attend Northern Arizona University. Starting out with intentions of pursuing a
above: bowls and bikes, a signature series from local potter, Joni Pevarnik, showcased at a plethora of venues this summer.
at right: mrs. Pevarnik and her potters shop.
by nikki charnstrom photos by martha lochert
Spanish degree, Mrs. Pevarnik fell in love with the ceramics program at the university, and switched to Studio Art. “The department up here was so great back in the ‘70s. We basically lived over there,” the artist recalls.
After graduation, she and her husband, Steve Pevarnik moved south to Tucson and worked jobs here and there for three years. It wasn’t until Mrs. Pevarnik had her first profit- able craft fair that the couple thought they could be full-time artists. Shortly after, they made their way back up north, built a home in Williams, and settled there.
From the moment they made a life for themselves in Northern Arizona, they have expe- rienced the strong community surrounding them. The individuals Mrs. Pevarnik has come to call friends have impacted both her life and art career. Each October, the Pevarniks hold a wood kiln pottery firing event at their studio in Williams. All those within the art family in the region are invited for a two-day event of socializing, networking and tending to the 2300°F kiln.
“Those community events are fun. That’s the thing about clay, you need people to help you,” the potter describes.
As the local art business grows exponentially, residential support must advance as well. Mrs. Pevarnik believes the people of the town have the most vital impact on the successes of the artists and galleries. Year by year, she envisions the arts community of Flagstaff to become substantially more vibrant because of the interest level of all parties involved in the industry.
“I think if we didn’t have art, it would all just be paper boxes! ... And having the arts alive downtown really creates this whole other dynamic I think cities really need,” she says.
By accident and pure luck, Mrs. Pevarnik found the belief she holds to as a creator, “Fol- low your bliss and never give up.” Being a strong supporter of serendipity, she leaves it in the hands of chance when it comes to finding happiness. Pottery has brought her this euphoria and she will continue to pursue the purpose she has found in herself through art.
The artist will be showcasing and selling her pottery at Art in the Park, 4th of July Week- end (July 2-4) at Wheeler Park in Downtown Flagstaff, and is participating in the city-wide ACF Open Studios August 27 & 28 (with an opening reception at the Arts Connection July 30). For more information on Mrs. Pevarnik, visit her website elfuegoPottery.com or stop into the Artists’ Gallery at 17 North San Francisco Street, Flagstaff.
the nöísẽ | the best of arizona | JULY 2016 {online at thenoise.us} • 18