Women, trans*, femme, and non-binary (WTFN-B) OPEN STUDIO
The mission of The Romero House Potters, Inc. is to promote and support ceramics arts education for the Tucson and Southern Arizona communities by offering classes, workshops and special events for all members of the community. Romero House’s WTFN-B (women, trans*, femme, non-binary) monthly event’s mission is inspired by BICAS’s mission to “build a knowledge-sharing community with anyone who self-identifies as transgender, femme, female, woman, genderqueer, nonbinary” and give space and time to those under this umbrella to freely connect, create, and find community. It is a space to show up as yourself and respect how each other identifies.
Starting in 2024 on the first Sunday of each month, we will hold space from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. for community members who identify as a woman, trans*, femme, or non-binary person to explore creating with clay. This time is structured similarly to our open studio, where you’re allowed to freely create while an on-duty host is available to help or answer questions. They will also be surveying the studio to make sure the space continues to feel safe for all involved.
Why host a WTFN-B night?
As a community clay studio, it’s significant to reflect on our accessibility to Tucson and increase intentional space. Historically, community spaces can feel uninviting or overwhelming, especially if one is made to explain oneself or their identity. By establishing a specific open studio time for the WTFN-B community, we hope to mitigate these obstacles and support folks in their ability to express and explore clay in a safe and supportive environment. We want to follow in suit alongside other great local community spaces, like BICAS, Xerocraft, and CATalyst (to name just a few) and create a space where people can show up and be accepted for exactly who they are.
This space is for:
Women: A person who identifies as a woman.
Trans*: an umbrella term covering a range of identities that transgress socially defined gender norms. Trans with an asterisk is often used in written forms to indicate referring to the larger group nature of the term, and specifically including nonbinary identities, as well as transgender men (transmen) and transgender women (transwomen).
Femmes: someone who identifies themselves as feminine, whether it be physically, mentally or emotionally. Often used to refer to a feminine-presenting queer woman or people.
Non-Binary People: a gender identity label used by some people who do not identify with the binary of man/woman; those who identify as non-binary, non-conforming, genderless, or agender.
(Definitions from Gender and Sexuality Glossary)
This Open Studio is supportive of WTFN-B people in a WTFN-B only atmosphere. If you are not WTFN-B identifying, we encourage you to be an ally.
Resources on Allyship:
Sign up now for the next WTFN-B open studio night (5:30-8:30 p.m. on March 10th) under “Classes and open studio.”
You will be required to sign a code of conduct to join
WTFN-B open studio is donation based! Pay what you can to support the studio, but no one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
Donate under the “Home” section of the RHP website.
Suggested donation: $5-10.
If you have questions about what it means to be/identify as a WTFN-B person, please reference some of the listed resources below:
Resources:
National Institute of Health, “What are gender prononces? Why do they matter?”
The Trever Project research on why LGBTQ and gender-affirming spaces are crucial
Have questions or interested in helping? Contact a WTFN-B committee member:
Olivia (she/her): lotuller@gmail.com
Jess (they/them): jessmg10@gmail.com
Mollie (she/her): muchnamollie@gmail.com