Explore Kansas City's ceramics scene with these pottery classes and artisan shops

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Perhaps you want to leave the pottery-making to the experts. Irma Starr is one of Kansas City’s most well-known ceramic artists, and her skill in a 17th-century English style of pottery called slipware has earned her commissions from the Smithsonian Institute and the White House.

Starr’s home gallery is not always open to the public, but her Annual Holiday Show on December 15–17 provided viewers an opportunity to walk through her studio and purchase one of her beloved holiday ornaments. You can keep an eye on her Facebook to catch an opportunity to see her work in person.

Three Bees Cafe is a scenic, ivy-covered shop in KCK’s Rosedale neighborhood, where you can buy colorful, hand-painted Mexican Talavera pottery. You can also buy a coffee drink with Mexican flavors like a tres leches latte or dirty horchata, or eat an authentic tamale. Three Bees is open from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday and 8–2 on Sundays.

Convivial in the West Bottoms is another locally-owned company selling handmade ceramic kitchen wares. When ceramic artist Chentell Stiritz founded the company in 2014, Convivial was a small operation. Now they distribute their simple, yet elegantly designed stoneware pottery and handcrafted vases nationwide.

Stiritz also owns Verdant in the Crossroads, where you can shop for the plant lovers in your life. The store sells handmade ceramic vases and planters, as well as other botanical-themed gifts."...