What Is Turning the Port?
Turning the Port is a participatory clay project rooted in reflection and movement.
Each participant will handbuild a ceramic tumbler. After firing, these vessels will be mounted onto a rod-and-wood framework, a field of forms that can gently rotate, catch light, and hold memory.
The tumblers represent:
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Water
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Labor
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Migration
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Offering
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Industry
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The hands that built this place
When assembled, they will form a communal structure, an act of civic reflection made visible.
How You Participate
No clay experience needed.
You will:
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Join a 2-hour guided handbuilding session
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Form a ceramic tumbler using stoneware clay
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Add texture, color marks, symbols, or words to tell your story
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Contribute your piece to the collective installation
You do not need to be an artist.
You only need hands.
Your tumbler becomes part of the larger structure. Once installed, the work will hold the imprint of everyone who participated.
When the sessions are full, the structure is complete.
Who Is Invited
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Neighbors of San Pedro
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Port workers and their families
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Artists and non-artists
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Youth (with guardian)
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Community groups
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Elders
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Anyone who lives with the presence of the port
This is intergenerational.
This is civic.
This is collaborative.
Session Details
Location: Adewole Arts Studio
Duration: 2 hours
All materials included
No experience required
Your registration reserves one tumbler space on the final structure.
[Reserve Your Seat]
Limited sessions available.
Each booking fills one position on the installation.
Project Timeline
Community Sessions: Spring 2026
Firing & Assembly: Spring/Summer 2026
Public Unveiling: Summer 2026
Participants are invited to the unveiling celebration.
Supported By
Turning the Port is funded in part by Arts Open San Pedro through their public arts initiative supporting community-engaged projects in San Pedro.
This support makes it possible to gather, build, and offer this work collectively.
Join the Turning
This is not a passive installation.
It is shaped by the people who show up.
Reserve your session below.
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From 1 US dollar