Healing Through Clay: Inside Dallas-Based Pottery for the People

DALLAS, Texas – Pottery for the People serves Oak Cliff not only as a pottery studio, but as a community-based ceramics collective offering memberships, classes, and events for people of all experience levels. Founded in 2023 by Jane Parsons and Lillian Flint, the workshop has grown into a hub for those seeking art and connection through clay.

The origin of Pottery for the People is a blend of serendipity and calling. Co-owner Jane Parsons recounts how a palm reader in New Orleans made a prescient recommendation: “She told me I should open a community studio—at first I shrugged it off, but pottery kept pulling me in.”

After apprenticing at studios and with encouragement from her husband, Parsons partnered with Lillian Flint, a formally trained potter, to realize their vision for an inclusive creative space.

Charlotte, an instructor at Pottery for the People, found her own path: “I joined as a member, then started teaching.” She aspires to use ceramics as a form of therapy, helping others communicate and process emotions through art.

As Pottery for the People explores new possibilities for the future, the original mission of shaping clay and hand-building the Dallas community endures.