As a kid, I liked playing in the mud a lot. As an adult, I like it even more. I’m also a big fan of grassroots social justice initiatives, especially as they pertain to making society kinder, more accessible, and more equitable.
As a white, cis-gender, highly educated person with a stable “real” job, I acknowledge that I carry a lot of privilege into the world. I believe in my bones that it is a moral duty to use our privilege and our other gifts wherever and however we can to support and amplify the voices of folks who are and have been marginalized. So, Be|Ware Pottery is a few things: partly my admittedly bougie, privileged opportunity to make art and put it out into the world; and partly an effort to use that opportunity to feed into something bigger, better, and much more important than my need to underwrite the costs of my creative outlet.
A minimum of 25% of the proceeds of each piece of Be|Ware pottery will be donated to community organizations in/around Hamilton, ON. In particular, I’m prioritizing organizations/projects that do not have charitable registrations with the Canada Revenue Agency, because these organizations cannot issue charitable donations receipts and often have difficulty attracting donations and grant funding as a result.
You can learn about the specific efforts being supported here, and can choose a particular organization from the list of recipients during checkout if you like. If you don’t have preference, I’m happy to choose for you.
I believe in transparency, and so I will document all transfers of funds from Be|Ware Pottery to the community recipients. The one exception to this is when a donation directly to an unhoused individual is chosen by a purchaser. I will not photograph, record, or obligate any individual recipient to sign a receipt indicating that they’ve received cash from me. If you choose the cash-in-a-hand option for donation, you are trusting me to do that, despite my inability to show you the actual transfer. (I will keep a record of amounts and dates of transfer, but not the specifics of the recipient.) Any donation to a group/organization/project will be given for use where it is most needed – I trust that the recipients (individual or groups) know best how to use the resources. My obligation is to share; their obligation is to assign the resources. Making unrestricted donations is always the best way to donate – if you don’t trust the donee to know how to get the most mileage out of your donation, you should re-examine whether they’re a good fit for you as a donor.
Finally, I want to acknowledge that I am a white settler who occupies land traditionally occupied and stewarded by several First nations: the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas. In recognition of this, and the need for reparations, and additional 10% of every purchase will be donated to Indigenous-led organizations/groups/projects/fundraisers. Right now, there is a need for funds to support work on the community’s Mohawk longhouse (Kanyenkehaka kanonhses), and that is where donations will be directed until that need is met.
Thanks for being here ! Now, go buy yourself some pots with a purpose!
xo
-kerry