About Dunn County Pottery

Traditional Craft

Dunn County Pottery is a pottery and gallery located in beautiful Downsville, Wisconsin. The property overlooks the Red Cedar River Valley, oxbow ponds, and is surrounded by 65 acres of restored and sustainably managed native prairie and woodland. Close to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dunn County Pottery is the perfect destination for a beautiful scenic drive, a hike on the Red Cedar Trail, and easy local gift shopping.

Potter John Thomas founded the Dunn County Pottery in 1973. He apprenticed as a potter on the island of Awajishima, just south of Kobe, in central Japan between August 1971 and September 1972. John learned traditional production pottery, dug local clay from the earth, and learned to mix glazes by hand.

John is a keen observer and admirer of the natural world. He brings a calm simplicity to his work. He believes that pottery should be functional and affordable, so each piece can be used and loved in your daily life.

Local Pottery & Gifts

In 1985, John moved his pottery and showroom to The Creamery Restaurant & Inn, a joint venture by the Thomas family, which included a fine dining restaurant, pottery, gift shop, and inn rooms in the renovated historic creamery building.

In 2000, the pottery moved next door to The Creamery building. The historic Downsville Schoolhouse was moved to the Dunn County Pottery in 2008. The schoolhouse became a pottery showroom and event center. In 2020, John and Kathy moved their residence to the historic schoolhouse. John continues to make pottery in his workshop. The pottery is open seasonally. From spring to the new year, we are open every day of the week in the pottery showroom. From the new year through March we are open by appointment only.

The pottery also features work by Cari Witcher and Andrew Violet of Red Circle Pottery in Des Moines, Iowa. Their work is also available for sale at Tangled Up in Hue in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Wood-Fired Pottery

John Thomas throws most of the pottery by hand on an electric wheel. He also uses techniques like drape molding and stamping. Most of the unique glazes are custom-mixed, and some of the clay bodies and glazes are made from local clays dug from the surrounding hillsides. John fires many pots in wood, gas, and electric kilns throughout the year.

His favorite pots are wood-fired. For years, John fired a three-chamber noborigama kiln, or climbing kiln. In 2022, he rebuilt the kiln to be one chamber, which allows for smaller firings. Also, he can now assist the wood firings with gas when desired. This redesign helped shorten the wood firings from a 24 to 48-hour process to a 12 to 18-hour process. Both kilns were designed by John and built by hand. The large, one-chamber kiln is generally fired twice a year. He also has a smaller, rapid-fire wood kiln. The wood kilns are often fired with wood John sources from the restoration of the adjacent woodlands.