The late start resulted in a bit less time to see the sights of Moscow, but we did accomplish one very important goal: find Amanda a pottery studio.
Since Fritz will be in archives and working hard most of the time that we are here, I needed to find a way to productively fill my days. Fritz suggested that I attempt, once again, to aligning myself with a local pottery studio. It has worked so well in the past going from DC, to Berlin, and on to New Haven, so we figured it was worth a try in Moscow. I stand by a statement that I find myself making over and over again: potters are the nicest people in the world. And it seems the Moscow experience serves to reinforces this statement.
Both Fritz and I did some preliminary research on Moscow pottery studios. There is one in particular that Fritz found 3 months ago, so I've been following them on Instagram since that time. They are called Chamotte Bakery. Based on their Instagram feed and website, I quickly arrived at the conclusion that they are awesome. I sent Chamotte a few messages in the months leading up to our trip, but sadly, received no return response. We thought it might still be worth popping by in person, but we spent the first part of the day compiling a list of alternative options.
Our first stop was a small studio called жюль и верн (great example of the Cyrillic alphabet at its best - this is pronounced Jule ee (and) Vern. The studio was located on the second floor on a building in the back of some kind of dress shop. We had to walk past racks of dresses to reach the studio. Upon being greeted by one of the employees, it became immediately clear that this was not going to be a realistic option. I just don't have enough Russian language under my belt to fly in a studio where no one can speak English. Scratch that... I don't really have any functional Russian aside from a few random expressions that are annoyingly at the front of my mind when I'm in the shower by myself, but oddly absent any time it would make sense to use them. Fritz made a valiant effort of promoting my pottery skills and the idea that I could be helpful to the studio, but ultimately, Jules and Vern did not work out.
So the next stop was Chamotte Bakery. For this we had to take the Metro since the studio is located on the opposite end of the city center and would have taken over 2 hours to walk there. Since I've been following them on Instagram (click here for their feed), I had a pretty good sense of what the studio looked like from the inside, but Fritz and I were both a bit blown away by the outside of the building.
First of all, the building is HUGE and takes up an entire city block. We later learned that it is an old electric plant. The new electric plant is directly across the street and it seems the old one has been converted into various studio spaces.
Old electric plant
We entered the first door we saw and were told by the guards that we needed to go in Door 3 for the pottery studio. (By the way, nearly every public building in Moscow has security guards and metal detectors, though they don't really seem to be necessary. It seems more like a way to provide employment opportunities.)
Entrance through Door 3 of the electric plant
So we left the first door and located Door 3, a slightly grander entrance than the first. The entrance here was a bit more open with 2 small cafes - one on the left, one on the right - and a short staircase with a gate where 2 more security guards sifted through the arriving visitors. We walked up and Fritz told them we were looking for Chamotte Bakery. They asked for his last name, which he gave them and they waved him through the turn style. I smiled and pointed at Fritz and they waved me through too. Fritz remembered reading that the studio was on the 4th floor so we started walking up the steps of this gargantuan, ramshackle building. Winding up the staircase and gazing down endlessly long hallways made me start to think finding Chamotte was going to be a real shot in the dark.
On the top of the 4th floor we passed a man who seemed to be on his way down the steps. Fritz asked in Russian if he knew where Chamotte Bakery was and the man, recognizing that we were not native speakers, immediately switched to English. "It's down the hall. Black door on the left." He then told us there was no one inside, but he would be back in a minute and would be able to help us then. He said his name was Denis, and turned to go down the stairs. What luck! Fritz and I had fortuitously bumped into an actual Chamotte Bakery potter!
Our walk down this hallway was interesting... maybe even a bit creepy since we had no idea where we were. Though it seemed clear that this electric plant has become a home to a variety of different artists over the years. We passed a door to a wood working studio, a photo and video studio, and a few other visual art studios along with many unlabeled doors.
Electric plant hallway
Not realizing Chamotte Bakery would be written in Russian, we walked right by it. On both their Instagram page and personal website, their logo is always in English.
Chamotte Bakery in Cyrillic
On the second pass we identified the black door mentioned at just about the same time Denis returned. As we stepped into the studio, the immediate change in scenery from the poorly lit, industrial hallway to the bright, clean, creative space of the pottery studio was a breath of fresh air. Clean painted white brick walls, large wooden tables for working, shelves upon shelves of pottery in process, green leafy plants, six pottery wheels, and floor-to-ceiling windows created an inspirational environment that would make any artist giddy with excitement. This place was beautiful and brimming with creative potential!
Chamotte Bakery
Inside, we met another potter who was busily working on her own hand-built creations. Her name is Dasha and she also speaks English quite well, though Denis said he and Dasha are the only English-speakers in the group. I explained that I was a potter in the US and visiting Moscow for a month. I was hoping to find a pottery community that I could be a part of for the time that I am in town and would gladly do anything around the studio to help out in exchange for some time on the wheel. Wash floors, recycle clay, load kilns... anything that would be of value in a pottery studio. Denis said that it would probably be no problem for me to work in the studio, however the main group of women who run Chamotte were away at a pottery event through the weekend. They would be returning next week. He said I should come back then and he would introduce me and I could get started.
Denis, one of my first pottery friends in Moscow. You can see his work on instagram @nok.cermamics. He has a beautifully clean style.
Dasha, is my other new Moscow pottery friend. She is incredibly sweet and is very excited, in this photo, to be making her second plaster mold for one of her handmade bowls. She gave me her business card and explained that she "mostly draws cats." You can see her very cute, happy pottery on instagram @kudaria_ceramics.
In conclusion, I'm trying not to count my chickens before they hatch, but it kind of feels like I might have just been accepted into Chamotte Bakery! Woooohooo!! Potters really are the nicest people in the world!
Fritz and I spent the rest of the day walking around Moscow and eventually ended up in another of Moscow's lovely parks.
Moscow Hermitage Garden
The Veranda Restaurant
We tried to get dinner at The Veranda, an adorable restaurant with an outdoor patio. Fritz asked the hosts how long the wait would be to get a table outside. With a very straight face the hostess simply said, "Too long." So much for that idea.
Borscht at Summer Time Cafe
Fortunately there was a second restaurant in the park also with a lovely outdoor patio. I was extremely excited to find that this restaurant had Borscht on the menu! I've been dying to try some borscht, a traditional Eastern European soup often made from beetroots. It was delicious!
Pushkinskaya Square
A scenic walk home during sunset took us past some pretty churches and fountains. It was a successful and lovely second day in Moscow. Here's to walks with my love, borscht, and pottery!
