Mentorship makes “cents” at the
Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market
Come on out and support AnaLuz Sainz Rodriguez and her mentor, artist and potter Troy Bungart.
Summer and Fall 2022 Schedule
Traditional Market
Saturdays 7a - 2p
May 7
May 21
June 4
July 2
July 16
July 30
August 13
August 27
September 10
October 1
November 5
November 19
Evening Festival Mart
Thurdays 5p - 10 p
June 16
August 18
September 15
AnaLuz became interested in pottery as a student at KVCC and is now exploring studio pottery as a career option. She works as a bartender and waitress evenings but during the day she continues her studies with a personalized mentorship program at Troy Bungart’s clay studio.
Troy is an established studio potter with a BFA in Ceramic Art. He sells through his website www.TroyBungartStudios.com and on Etsy, in person at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market and the Michiana Pottery Tour, and is represented at Schaller Gallery, Pewabic Pottery and other fine retail outlets across the United States.
2023 Update and Calendar coming soon
Please check back!
Kalamazoo Farmers Market and Mentorship — How Community Support Helps
AnaLuz and Troy are both members of the Greater Kalamazoo community. The Kalamazoo Farmers Market is the perfect outlet for an artist to gain widespread community recognition and support.
Many artists are vagabonds, moving from one art fair to the next, supplementing with online sales and widespread gallery representation. In contrast, at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market AnaLuz is “going deep,” learning about “her people,” her neighbors, what they like to buy and what they hope to find.
When the same friendly people come around to say “hi” time and again she is gaining feedback and learning how to serve the community. Already she has gained an opportunity to do commissioned work for an area business. This sense of belonging, AnaLuz + Kalamazoo, is what bears fruit over the years. If you’re reading this, already you’re a part of AnaLuz’s artistic heritage!
Think about it: as an emerging artist AnaLuz has so much to learn. Most college programs don’t teach students every aspect of running a studio pottery business: best practices, kiln firing, chemical properties, product photography, social media, online sales, bookkeeping and licensing, gallery and shop contacts, professional contacts, in-person sales! Being a studio artist is so much more than learning how to use a potter’s wheel. That’s how partnering with an experienced studio artist like Troy Bungart helps.
Given all that AnaLuz is learning, she doesn’t pay Troy for his mentorship or the use of his studio. Likewise, Troy doesn’t pay AnaLuz for all the help she’s giving around the studio. It’s an old-fashioned, professional and educational relationship rooted in respect, partnership and a recognition that sharing knowledge and experience between generations is mutually beneficial.
When you make a purchase at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market from either AnaLuz or Troy you are supporting the arts in your community and assuring that generous people like AnaLuz and Troy are as well rewarded as you yourself are as you enjoy their pottery for years to come.
Thank you for your support!
