Growing up here in northwestern Ohio, Mark Nafziger's plan was to study math and science so he could then become a teacher. Today, he's teaching, but not math or science: Mark is the resident potter at Sauder Village and teaches through his craft not in a classroom, but in his own studio.
Each day, Mark goes about his work while visitors observe and learn more about the fine art of ceramics. Some days, you might catch Mark in production, others decorating or glazing. His studio houses both production space and a showroom where his pottery is for sale. More of Mark's finished pieces can also be purchased from the Sauder Village gift shop.
Resident potter and an Archbold native, Mark has been at the Village since 1981. Today, he makes his studio in this timber-frame structure which was built on the property. The timbers were squared one summer using century-old techniques and then the structure went up in an old-fashioned barn-raising event over Labor Day weekend in 1989.
The skylight overhead and the cathedral ceilings are the perfect setting for Mark's traditional, functional and one-of-a-kind stoneware pottery. Mark is considered a continuing craftsman, one who works in the present, but draws heavily on the past.
You may contact Mark directly at marknaf@gmail.com
Follow Mark on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/marknafziger.brushcreekpottery.