About CCSA
CCSA Mission Statement:
To promote our industry and be a resource for our members.
Guiding Principles
We care about our members
We are dedicated to being a partner in the success of our members.
We commit, to be honest, act with integrity, and transparent as a Board of Directors.
We guarantee a prompt and courteous response to all member communications.
We offer professional expertise and resources stemming from a strong supplier and studio partnership at the Board level.
Diversity and Inclusion Statement: Contemporary Ceramic Studios Association
At the Contemporary Ceramic Studios Association (CCSA), we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community. We celebrate and value the unique perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences of our members and strive to create an environment where everyone feels respected, heard, and included.
History
Ceramic shops have been around for as long as anyone can remember. In the beginning they were dusty little shops tucked away in just about every neighborhood. Most of the shops you had to pick your mold, mix your slip, and pour your own piece. You’d come back a few days later and remove the mold, clean up the bisque, and begin to paint. They would glaze and fire the piece and you’d have a completed piece a few days after that. These are what we call Traditional Ceramic Studios. They had quite different look and feel from the evolved Contemporary Paint Your Own Pottery (PYOP) studios today. Although similar in many ways, the PYOP’s today operate a bit differently and many include other craft offerings like fused glass, clay, mosaics, wood crafts, and canvas.
The change from Traditional to Contemporary started in the 90’s. And with an increase of so many small, locally owned Mom and Pop PYOP’s popping up all over the world, the idea to create the CCSA began to hatch. It started with a small group of people with a lot of experience in the ceramics industry. Suppliers like Duncan, Total Mosaics, Skutt and Mayco discussing how they could put together and connect all these shops. They brought in studio owners to the discussion and before too long their idea began to grow.
and then…
The founding members wanted to connect suppliers with studio owners, studio owners with other studio owners and create a place they could share ideas, launch products, find inspiration, and network – all under one roof.
They achieved these goals by creating the CCSA.
Going forward…
Although it has evolved greatly over the years to meet ever changing needs, the founding principles of these forward thinking individuals are still the cornerstones of our association. The current CCSA has over 700 studio and supplier members located all over the world. For our studio members we provide an abundance of benefits including savings with participating suppliers, quarterly project guides, monthly webinars, networking, ideas, and inspiration. For our supplier members we provide a direct contact with studios, a place to launch new products, and grow their business. (You can learn more about the benefits of being a CCSA Member by clicking here)
The CCSA also holds an annual convention where suppliers can exhibit and attendees can attend valuable classes and gain insight for their business. This educational experience is one of the most talked about events of the year in this industry.
The CCSA has two full time employees and a volunteer Board of Directors made up of studio owners and supplier members. We also publish a quarterly magazine - The CCSA Today. Our Members Only website houses years of archives including photos, projects, and other important documents that are invaluable to studio owners. Being a member of the CCSA has many benefits but by far the willingness to share ideas and information with each other so openly is one of the greatest.
The CCSA revels in the process of helping so many business owners by providing time and energy saving items at their fingertips. It’s our honor and privilege to be a part the evolution and growth of this industry.
