Throwing Mud Gallery is a contemporary crafts gallery and pottery studio located in the historic Old Town district of Tacoma. Offering six-week sessions of pottery classes from ‘just try it’ to advanced as well as one-time paint-your-own-pottery and open clay time, Throwing Mud Gallery is celebrating 15 years in business.
With a mission to encourage creativity and an understanding of quality handcrafted art, owners Mark and Eileen Hudak feature and sell the works of over 100 local and regional artists. “We try to be a place for people to be creative,” said Eileen recently. “For some, it is their first experience working with clay while there are many others who have been taking classes for years and years.”
Painting your own pottery is a great family outing that kids enjoy with their parents. Other customers come to buy pieces; all are made in the USA. The gallery features a large selection of pottery, jewelry, wood, and glass in styles from functional to whimsical to decorative.
This business idea was years in the making. Mark was required to take a pottery class in college for his art major and the minute he started throwing on the wheel, he was hooked. In 1977, he moved to Tacoma from Chicago to teach school, but pottery eventually became his full-time work. He enjoys making functional items that people use in their daily life.
Eileen, a Tacoma native, says that over the last 15 years she and Mark fondly remember the creation of their own Great Pottery Throw Down — a nod to the British contest whereby their pottery family competed in various pottery challenges including making pieces blindfolded.
Another special memory is the marriage of two of their pottery students who met in one of their classes. That couple still takes classes, bringing their baby with them.
“We are so thankful for our wonderful staff and for our customers that have stuck with us. They really are like family to us,” said Eileen. “We couldn’t do this without them.”
For Additional Information
throwingmudgallery.com
BY LYNN CASTLE