Black Bear Pottery

A Life of Clay and Compassion 

Looking for a unique up north destination? Black Bear Pottery is nestled in the deep woods conveniently located close to Garrison, Mille Lacs, Bay Lake and Brainerd.

At the end of Black Bear Road you will find gallery owner Haddie Hadachek. 

She is an award winning clay artist who designs and creates sculptural one of a kind pieces, functional pottery for kitchen and tables, urns, masks, wall mosaics and hangings, and a variety of vases in different sizes. 

Her kitchen pottery is lead free, microwavable, oven and dishwasher safe. The studio is open spring, summer and fall.

Haddie's style is what I would term eclectic, and in addition, is displayed locally at The Crossing Arts Alliance in Brainerd and in NE Minneapolis at Mojo Coffee Gallery. Mojo also displays her work on their website. 

Haddie, a native of Colorado, has a bachelor degree in Fine Arts and attends the NCECA national conference every year where she exhibits. Over the years she has honed her skills by attending workshops, reading trade magazines and books, and finding inspiration among her community of potter friends. She loves trying new things and explores a variety of art forms.

In 1985 Haddie and friends first built the workshop which immediately opened as Black Bear Pottery. 

The studio/gallery is secluded and surrounded by all the best nature has to offer. There are even a few chickens and dogs to keep Haddie company while she works.

The calm peaceful setting keeps her in tune with nature, though at times a quick look out the window at what’s going on can be a bit of a distraction.

Haddie uses three different kilns, each one producing different finishes to the pottery pieces. She uses the electric kiln to make the pottery strong enough to be glazed and loaded into either the propane fired kiln or the wood fired kiln. The wood fire kiln is a labor intensive process that requires 30 hours of manual labor just to keep the fires burning. Potter friends and and former apprentices join Haddie at these firings.. The wood kiln produces ash which forms a finish on the surface of the pottery. The third kiln is propane fired and produces different surface effects than the wood kiln with the application of more glazes. Three weeks are needed to fill up the propane kiln with pots before it is ready to fire up. Then Haddie mixes and applies her own glaze with a broad variety of colors.

Being an artist in the field of pottery provides its challenges. Certainly the physical aspect of heavy work and repetitive motions take a toll on one's body over the years. Marketing and maintaining a good customer base is always an ongoing challenge as well as committing to a lifestyle that is not always lucrative but in her words certainly gratifying. Working with clay puts Haddie more in a zen zone, producing a sense of calmness and a clear mind. Haddie delights in knowing she has made something a customer is pleased with and wants to purchase it.

In the past Haddie has provided on site apprenticeships where recent college graduates spend 3-4 months living with her, learning how to run a pottery business, and fine tuning their skills while developing their individual style.

A trip to Nicaragua in 1994 as part of a Potters for Peace Brigade proved to be a life altering experience for Haddie. As result over the years she has made numerous trips back and forth to this third world country. She became quite active in Potters for Peace, a non-profit organization supporting their efforts to help establish ceramic water filters in developing countries as an energy efficient alternative to provide bacteria-free drinking water. 

PFP also lends technical assistance in kiln building, marketing, and skill enhancement in Nicaragua. Haddie buys Nicaraguan pottery and sells pieces in her gallery with profits going back to the non-profit organization. Several years ago, Haddie and her husband, Kurt purchased property in Nicaragua. Generally she and her husband are there 4 to 5 months a year. In Nicaragua Haddie works with a type of clay called earthenware, which is fired at a much lower temperature allowing for different decoration techniques. 

Haddie truly is living out her dream and feels so lucky to be in a place today where she can create and share her craft. It is gratifying for her to be part of an organization that supports potters worldwide who work towards energy efficiency, healthier lives and grassroots solutions. www.pottersforpeace.com 

Contact Haddie at blackbear@brainerd.net and
www.blackbearpottery.com https://www.facebook.com/haddie.hadachek/photos
for more gallery photos.

by Sue Ready written for Lakes Area Living Magazine 2018