For the pragmatic among you, for those who see utility as an art in and of itself: not to worry.

The Austin ArtWorks Festival is bringing four potters to our galleries this year, and each has a story to tell about the beauty of utility.

Kyra Bellrichard and Craig Seath will showcase their talent at our Annex Gallery, with Bellrichard throwing at the wheel throughout the day.

Seath, who teaches classes for kids in Hudson, Wis., has been working in ceramics for 10 years. Bellrichard describes her work as “fun and functional,” and got her start at Minnesota State University-Mankato in 1996.

Both she and Barb Cafourek, a self-taught potter and painter who will be showing her work in our Dock Gallery, describe pottery throwing as therapeutic. “[It’s] like a friend who you may not see or speak with often but when you do it is like no time has passed,” Bellrichard says.

Perhaps most notably, fan favorite Joseph Sand will be returning to the Festival this year with a fresh batch of pieces.

Sand, who studied under master potter Mark Hewitt for more than three years before breaking out on his own, recently received the Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artist Award through the Durham Arts Council. This award provided funding toward the construction of a kiln, in which Sand completes three firings per year in the spring, summer, and late fall. Catch his work in the newly opened ArtWorks Center this August.

Be sure to visit www.austinareaarts.org and like the ArtWorks Festival on Facebook for the most up-to-date news. Until next week, hold on tight.