Iowa artist provides space for LGBTQ+ community

Every piece of clay Nathan Spalding throws on the wheel molds into a unique piece of art. Ceramics was therapy for Spalding to cope with depression while he was in college. "To have a creative outlet and meet other people and have some grounding moments," said Spalding. He wanted to bring people together through a creative outlet. That's how he came up with Queer Clay Nights at his Des Moines studio: SadBoy Ceramics. A two-and-a-half-hour workshop to create mugs from scratch and a chance to learn from each other. "It's really humbling. I leave these Queer Clay Nights feeling really grateful that I can provide this that I have this space. That's a huge privilege to be able to have a physical space to host things," said Spalding. Spalding didn't want money to be an issue for anyone who wanted to be part of Queer Clay Nights. So he started what's called the community clay fund, so everyone can enjoy pottery, based on what they can afford. "I just did not want that to be a barrier for people to be creative and to sit around a table with other queer people," said Spalding.Since Queer Clay Nights launched in January, the table is always full, and there are dozens of people on the waitlist. Every mug is different, but every experience has the same goal — a night for queer people to come together and have some fun.