The studio runs on a small editorial team, so replies are not instant. Most messages about a story pitch, a studio visit or a correction land in the inbox and get read within one working day. If your note needs a longer answer, we say so instead of leaving it open.
Best for pitches, interview requests and archive questions. Include the studio name, city and what you make.
info@renzorodriguez.comCall during weekday office hours for time-sensitive matters such as a scheduled shoot or a print deadline.
035-712-8584Physical mail, press copies and printed portfolios go to the studio address below.
2845 Ntombela Heights
Masangoview, NC 8007
Response times: email within one working day, phone during office hours, post whenever it arrives. Before you write, the FAQ on the guide page covers the questions we get most often about submissions, issue timing and how a studio visit is arranged.
Most issues take about four months to assemble. Here is the order we actually work in, including the parts that slow us down.
Month one
Makers send studio notes, photos of half-finished work, or a plain email describing what they are stuck on. We read everything, then shortlist three or four stories per issue. A pitch that names a material, a place and a problem tends to survive longer than a general introduction.
Month two
We travel to the workshop, usually for a full day. Photographs are taken mid-process, not after cleanup, so you see dust, jigs, drying racks and the tools actually in use. Interviews happen while work continues, which means answers are shorter and more honest than a scheduled sit-down.
Month three
Every profile is transcribed in full. Makers review their quotes before publication, and we ask them to confirm material sources, machine names and firing schedules. Tool lists are compiled from what we saw on the bench, not from a supplier catalogue.
Month four
Long-form text is set alongside the process images, then proofed twice on paper. Corrections at this stage are limited to factual errors and typos, so the piece keeps the voice it was written in. The issue goes to a small local printer and ships within the same month.
Two constraints shape the schedule: we only run stories we can visit in person, and we do not publish profiles of studios that ask to review the finished text before print. If a story needs more time, it moves to the next issue rather than being rushed.
A few definitions we use consistently across every issue, so studio visits, interviews and archive entries can be read the same way. These are working terms, not legal ones.
We use "studio" for any space where work is actually made: a converted garage in Glenwood, a shared kiln room in Salt River, a rented corner of a Braamfontein warehouse. It does not require a storefront, a registered business or a full-time staff. A single maker with a bench and a drying rack qualifies.
Independent means no outside investor sets the direction of the work. It does not mean the maker has no income, no collaborators or no retail partners. Several people we profile take commissions, teach short courses or sell through galleries. That still counts.
Photographs are taken during working hours, not staged after a piece is finished. If a maker pauses to explain a jig, a glaze test or a misprint, that moment stays in the set. We do not retouch away dust, offcuts or failed attempts.
When a maker shares material costs, stall fees or firing losses, we print what they said and note the date. Figures are context, not a price list. Costs shift with timber yards, clay suppliers and market seasons, so treat older issues as a record of that moment.
Every profile is sent back to the maker before publication for factual checks on tools, materials and process. If something is wrong after printing, we correct it in the next issue and note it in the archive entry rather than quietly editing the original.
We stay with objects and the people who make them. No financial products, no gambling, no investment advice, no adult content. If a story drifts into those areas, it does not run, regardless of how good the workshop photographs are.
Questions about a specific issue, a correction, or how a studio visit was arranged can go to info@renzorodriguez.com or 035-712-8584. Written notes are also welcome at 2845 Ntombela Heights, Masangoview, NC 8007.