Ben Tolle
Creation takes place on the lower level of the former cat cafe on Monroe Street.
Lejia Dongzhu believes that art and culture can shape one’s character, just as a sculptor’s hands shape a lump of clay to become something beautiful. He opened Dongzhu Pottery Studio on Monroe Street two years ago, and offers beginning ceramics classes to first-time potters who want to give it a try.
Dongzhu was born in Tibet, and learned Tibetan and Chinese art at a young age. He always liked to draw and sketch. When he moved to Madison in 2005 as a young teen, Dongzhu brought with him this deep interest in the arts. But it wasn’t until he took a ceramics class at West High School that his love of pottery was ignited. He credits ceramics teacher Phil Lyons for introducing him to the art form. “I wouldn’t be doing this without Phil’s teaching,” says Dongzhu.
Being surrounded by vibrant works of art during his childhood in Tibet made a lasting impression on Dongzhu. He uses bright glazes in his pottery and says the splashes of color remind him of Tibetan art. As he did as a child, he attends drawing classes every week to improve his craft: “My goal now is to blend my drawing skills into my pottery, and add some Tibetan touches,” which sometimes involve Buddhist symbolism.
Ben Tolle
Lejia Dongzhu works with a student. The studio is the fruition of a lifelong dream.
His road to opening a pottery studio was a meandering one. After high school, Dongzhu earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from UW-La Crosse. He took a five-year break from ceramics to focus on finance — by day, he is a financial specialist at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Dongzhu says he went to several other studios in town, but ultimately decided to take a risk and open a studio of his own, with the aim of affordability and plentiful open hours.
Dongzhu was eager to get started, and chose his studio space on Monroe Street within a week. It’s in the lower level of what used to be the Cat Cafe.
He used all of his cash on hand to put down a deposit, and took out a small loan to buy a kiln and a wheel. “Looking back on it, I took a very large risk,” he says. But now the studio has 30 members and offers classes six days a week.
“Most of our members are new to pottery,” he says. “I always say, don’t be afraid. A lot of people think they won’t be good at it — ‘oh I’m terrible at art.’ But you’d be surprised.” Dongzhu says that most students persevere and “five months later they’re making a whole set [of dishes] for their house. I have a few people who ended up buying their own kilns because they loved it so much.” But don’t expect perfect mugs and plates right off the bat: “Pottery is really about practicing,” says Dongzhu.
Dongzhu Pottery Studio offers a variety of classes. The “Casual Night Friday” class ($40) is a 90-minute introduction to pottery on Fridays at 6 p.m. The class covers the basics, and students leave with a handmade studio mug as a souvenir. For those who want to go a little deeper, Dongzhu holds a five-week beginner’s wheel class that concentrates on technique ($175). There’s also the option of a studio membership ($90/month) that gives members access to the studio 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including use of the kiln, pottery wheels, storage space and tools.
Dongzhu sells pottery from the studio every Saturday at the Dane County Farmers’ Market and Sunday at Monroe Street Farmers’ Market.
Dongzhu Pottery Studio
1925 Monroe St.; 608-239-8770; dongzhupotterystudio.com
