Guv Spins By Downtown Pottery Studio

Artist Matos and Gov. Lamont: Talking ceramics, and Venezuela.

Inside Matos's studio.

All-star Orange Street ceramicist Kiara Matos got a high-profile visitor — but not a customer — on Friday, as Gov. Ned Lamont swung by to marvel at her pottery workshop, catch up on her small-business story, pose for a photo with one of her brightly hued bird sculptures, and then leave empty-handed.

Lamont made that visit Friday afternoon during a two-stop tour of downtown New Haven businesses run by female immigrant entrepreneurs. 

The first stop was at Kiara Matos’s pottery storefront at 137 Orange St., the second at Havenly Treats at 25 Temple St.

The reason for the gubernatorial small-shop visits, according to a press release sent out by the governor’s office Friday afternoon, was to meet the owners and staff and discuss growth and opportunity.”

True to congenial form, Lamont — joined by newly minted state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) Commissioner Alexandra Daum and Women’s Business Development Council CEO and Founder Fran Pastore — was interested in a wider-ranging chat.

Matos explained to the governor how she moved to New Haven from Venezuela more than a decade ago, and how she spent years building up a loyal fan base while working out of her home basement studio before opening up her Orange Street shop in the fall of 2021. 

She spoke about how she has had to abandon her online and wholesale businesses in order to keep up with customer demand at her in-person storefront. 

She spoke about how she recently received a $10,000 grant from the Women’s Business Development Council to help cover the cost of critical but pricey equipment, including a new pug mill that cuts down from hours to minutes the amount of time she needs to rehydrate and repurpose scraps of clay into workable ceramics material. 

And she spoke about how the efficiency afforded by this new equipment should help her get a bit closer to realizing her hopes to host in-store workshops and to flood the country with birds,” as she pointed out some of her signature avian ceramic artworks.

One of the governor’s first questions of Matos: Where are you from in Venezuela? Caracas?

No, Matos, replied, San Cristobal, in the Andes.”

I climbed Pico Bolívar,” Lamont said, referring to the country’s highest mountain. Well, he continued with a smile, he didn’t make it all the way to the top.

So, is Fran helpful?” he asked about the role that Pastore’s Women’s Business Development Council has played in helping Matos grow her business.

Helpful for my strategy,” Matos said. While Matos founded her business before getting a financial boost from the council, the $10,000 grant and the equipment it’s allowed her to buy has helped her meet ever-growing customer demand. 

Daum and Matos both emphasized to the governor just how cherished Matos’s artworks are by many New Haveners. Kiara has a good following in New Haven,” Daum said.

Jing Ju working on waxing ceramics art in-the-works.

Matos showed Lamont around her studio, and explained the process of spinning and drying and baking and glazing her ceramic art.

She also stressed to the governor how getting a grant of the size she received from the Women’s Business Development Council builds confidence” in small-businesspeople like herself. 

Such a grant not only helps one afford expenses needed to sustain and grow a shop like hers, she said. It also makes an artist like herself feel like she’s worth being invested in, and responsible for using the money wisely to reach more people.

I love what you’re doing here,” Lamont told Matos. He praised her energy and artistry and ingenuity. You’ve got enthusiasm in spades,” he said.

Daum, Matos, Lamont and Pastore.

Before leaving, he turned around to a wall lined with Matos’s carefully crafted bowls and birds and vases and jewelry.

He picked out an orange, yellow, and white bird sculpture and posed for a parting photo. He then put the bird back, thanked Matos for the tour, wished her luck, and left.

This reporter caught up with Lamont just as he was heading next door into Whole G Bakery, which was founded and is run by Matos’s husband, Andrea Corazzini.

What did the governor buy, if anything, from Matos’s shop?

A little chagrined, the governor paused and said he hadn’t bought anything.

Just behind Lamont, one of the governor’s spokespeople spoke up. Nothing yet,” she said. Nothing yet.”

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