The Van Briggle Pottery Festival and Tour

The Woman’s Educational Society of Colorado College (WES) will co-present the annual Van Briggle Pottery Festival with the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College Bemis School of Art on September 14, 2019 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with guided hour-long tours taking place every 20 minutes.

We will have one-hour walking tours beginning every 20 minutes.

Proceeds fund WES scholarships and scholar programs at Colorado College. www.coloradocollege.edu/wes

This fundraising event will include walking tours of the historic pottery including presentations at several points in the building:

• Hear Anne Van Briggle’s account of the founding of Van Briggle Pottery
• View artifacts found on-site and learn about the history of the architecture and its preservation after the purchase by Colorado College
• Step into Anne Van Briggle’s studio where Van Briggle collectors and experts will display and discuss work produced by the studio.  Patrons may bring their Van Briggle Pottery pieces for review; we will not authenticate pieces this year. 
• Bemis School of Art potters will have a wheel throwing booth ($5 for a 10-minute lesson) staffed by Bemis students and members of the Colorado College Collaborative Clay Club. The experience is a child-friendly event, complete with an archaeological dig and a sculpting area where folks can get hands-on with clay! 
• The Horticultural Arts Society Fall Bulb Sale will be held in the Heritage Gardens, adjacent to the pottery.

Festival partners will have information tables – visit with representatives from the McAllister House, the Manitou Springs Heritage Center and the Friends of Monument Valley Park. 

WES will have a table with Van Briggle literature for sale and a silent auction is being planned.