Meg Biddle
Meg Biddle first remembers honing in on wheel throwing when she was only 6 years old. She saw a vintage kick-wheel pottery demo and sweet-talked her way onto the device, even though her feet couldn’t reach. Biddle, who was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1971, ended up moving to Blairstown in New Jersey after her parents decided to get “back to the land”. The lack of culture and art added to young Biddle’s general distaste for the area, but her family convinced her join the Blair Academy the last two year of High School. The Academy had an incredible arts program, which made it easy for Biddle to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Art Education from the University of Southern Maine (1993).
Biddle moved to Chicago in the 90’s and joined the Jane Addams Hull House Association’s ceramics program. She had walked past the studio’s open basement windows and saw a downward view of spinning pottery wheels. She worked hard to be able to afford the studio time, and became a volunteer relatively early on. As well as starting to feel at home in the big city of Chicago, Biddle taught art as part of the city’s special education program at various public schools. After five years it became clear to her that the system didn’t give much support to special ed teachers, or art in general due to a profound lack of resources. She decided to expand her own education and went back to school for a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (1999). Initially she thought she could use her new degree to teach at a university level, but quickly realized she had an incredible opportunity to open her own studio after receiving an inheritance from her uncle Dick. The timing was perfect because the beloved Jane Addams program shut down due to a gentrifying neighborhood and a redirection of the organization’s focus. Biddle and many of the artists that called the small studio home would now have a place to land.
Biddle ultimately chose the location at 4150 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago because of the close proximity to public transit and the communal feeling of the space. She remembered how beneficial it was that people could see into the pottery space at Jane Addams, and decided that her new studio’s massive bank of windows would also draw people in. She was right- most of her students ended up wandering through the doors because of the open and welcoming view. Volunteers helped her tackle many overwhelming projects (thank you Carl Mankert), including the sample glaze wall, which in itself took hundreds of hours to complete (thank you Sheila Schaefer, Alice Hollowed, Paul Schultz, and onetime intern Chentell Stiritz!). Biddle had the background to handle the daily upkeep of the creative space, but she had not anticipated the sheer amount of work the business side would take. Dealing with taxes, paperwork and advertising sent her reeling. A re-appraisal of the building a year after she opened the space sent her property taxes sky-high. The first few years of building up her class loads were tough, and she admits she almost had to close her doors. But after all the random walk-ins and recommendations from friends, the non-profit finally got into a groove and has grown exponentially each year.
LSPS-LC is known for its close-knit friendships and sense of community. This is no mistake- Biddle purposefully set up the space to encourage connection and creative collaboration. The initial design of the space was gleaned from several studios she had admired and worked in. The massive concrete-topped tables were a loose copy of the slate-covered ex-pool tables at Jane Addams. The pottery wheels are tucked up to a tiled riser to encourage connection and collaboration. Biddle places a lot of importance on the students bantering with each other and being face-to-face. The large tables get students to talk to their peers to find solutions to tricky ceramic situations as well as forming friendships. All in all, the space if perfect for nerding out over all things clay, which has kept her students coming back year after year.
Over time, Biddle has added more shows and special events to encourage her students to put their work out there and make sales. Initially the studio started out with a holiday and anniversary sale and show. These staples still draw hundreds of people each year, especially to the pottery competition during the Spring event. Artists compete for prizes by out-doing each other on the pottery wheel under a strict time limit. The event includes competitive hand building, glaze identification and couples “Ghosting” on the wheel.
The past few years have seen the studio represented at the Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest, Ravenswood Art Walk and Renegade Craft Fair, all based in Chicago. Biddle encourages her students to take the plunge and present their work for the public to see. Since the studio provides the tent, tables and advertising, the artists themselves are saved from the stress and financial restrictions that art festivals usually incur. It’s a great way for them to gain confidence in their work, see what the public responds to, as well as clearing out some back stock! Biddle hopes the studio can return to joining these events soon, as well as doing workshops in wood firing, gold luster and raku.
Biddle has spent years accumulating lesson plans that have keep her students interested. She still uses some of the basic lessons from the early 2000’s, but mostly she’s bulked up her instructions by reading, viewing artwork and absorbing everything. Ceramic Monthly Magazine routinely provides great projects that pack a big visual punch, like working with colored clays or creating marbling effects. One reoccurring session topic is “Challenges” where she offers a sticker for each new technique tried. It works surprisingly well on adults. Vessels of Vice is another favorite topic, with a variety of pipes, wine vessels and items used to enjoy life.
Most of Biddle’s students know her work through the demonstration pieces she creates for each class during the week. The artist will often try new glaze techniques and fancy details to entertain herself and her students. What most of her students don’t see is the bevy of pieces she’s created over the years that reside in her home, and in that of her collectors. While oil painting was her first love, she transitioned out of it once she felt the pull of the wheel (suspiciously during the time Amaco released its line of new glaze colors in the late 90’s). Initially she took her painting style to the surface of her work- creating unique portraits of people on plates, vessels and cups. Biddle doesn’t shied away from political pieces, including a plate set highlighting the pervasive sexism in our culture. More recently she created a series of pinched busts as a loving homage to the drag queens and trans women throughout history. The piece was on display at the studio’s Pottery of Protest Exhibition, an annual event that showcases politically driven work by the studio’s students and volunteers.
Biddle won’t spend much time talking about the passion for her work, because she considers the studio her art! The energy she pours into her lessons, the continuous learning, the upkeep of her space and nurturing the love of clay in her students are her creative outlet. Her art training lets her “see” the bones and structure underneath the clay when figures are created. She also has an uncanny ability to be able to spot when a piece is in trouble from across the room. She’ll know if it’s off center, if gravity is about to take it down or if it’s over burdened in some way. It’s a super power that helps her solve about 99% of the problems her students face with their work. This ability comes from her sharp visual memory and extreme interest in the subject. Biddle can spout off about all things ceramics related (clay bodies, kilns, different firing processes, the chemistry of glaze, and on and on), and likens herself to her late father Clem, who could talk about his passion (Jazz) all day long. Biddle has written down her ideas, inspirations and lessons over the many years she’s been playing with clay, so perhaps one day we can expect a very in-depth how-to book from her!