Alexandria Medincy is a recently hired Pleasant Valley art teacher and has a passion for visual art. This is specifically true when it comes to throwing on the potter’s wheel. What started out as a hobby she practiced at home turned into her very own business: Gemini Pottery.
Medincy would often practice making functional pottery, such as mugs and bowls, at home. Soon after, her friends noticed and appreciated her skills so much that they wanted to buy her work. A friend of Medincy even asked if she could buy a pair of mugs as a wedding gift.
It is through experiences like this Medincy decided to pursue entrepreneurship. Once she saw that an increasing number of people were interested in buying her work, she took a leap of faith and decided to create a business selling functional pottery. Thus, Gemini Potter was officially born.
Medincy makes all functional pottery out of porcelain clay, but she specializes in making mugs. The process is quite long as it involves many steps: throwing the clay, letting it dry for a day, carving the bottom, attaching a handle, letting it dry for a day, painting patterns using distinct techniques, letting it dry for another two to three days, putting it in the bisque kiln, glazing it, and putting it in the kiln one more time to finish the product off.
This whole process takes roughly two weeks to complete, and she works the entire time from her home studio.
Since her business has taken off, she has sold and displayed her work in many ways. “This is my second year doing shows at different festivals and crafting shows, and I also sell online at etsy.com,” Medincy says. Davenport coffee shop Coffee Revolution uses her mugs in house and sells them as well. Additionally, a few other businesses in the Quad Cities also buy and use her work.
Senior Kaitlyn Ryan admires Medincy and all of her work. “It’s great to see that she is so passionate about art. Instead of just teaching art, she also passionate about it enough to run a business outside of her regular job, which is really inspiring to see.”
As an art teacher by day and a businesswoman by night, Medincy gets to live out both of her dreams: inspiring young artists in her classroom to explore what they are passionate about while she does the same.
