Years ago, one of David Dahlquist’s ceramics instructors told him, “When it’s all over, there are only three things left: bones, teeth and pottery.”

“So I’ve always been conscious of time,” said Dahlquist, whose students sometimes work on projects that become design elements in buildings around Des Moines. “So they can go visit that (building) and say, ‘I had a hand in doing that.’”

An accomplished designer, sculptor and instructor, Dahlquist has for more than two decades connected Greater Des Moines residents with one of the most ancient of art forms. In the process, he’s created a legacy of enduring art, a growing list of new and accomplished local artists, and a host of regular folks who have gotten their hands dirty in the pursuit of creating beauty.

“I’ve always been a teacher,” said Dahlquist, who from 1983 to 1988 was the Des Moines Art Center’s artist in residence. He later taught at Iowa State University before launching Dahlquist Clayworks Inc., which has since become a part of RDG Planning & Design.

Since 1993, the Dahlquist Art Studio at 316 S.W. Fifth St. has served as a focal point for ceramics classes for students throughout the metro area. Students taking ceramics classes through the Art Center, Grand View College, Des Moines Area Community College, the school district’s adult and community education classes and the Drake University’s extension program all use Dahlquist’s studio, located on the ground floor of the Art 316 Building.

“I wanted to be able to have a studio that would be able to create a facility where students could come,” he said. “I loved my experience at the Art Center, which was kind of an open-door thing.”

In any given semester, between 60 and 100 students, ranging from college-age to some occasional 80-somethings, take classes at Dahlquist’s studio.

“Not everyone is going to be an artist; I know that,” Dahlquist said. “There are very few of them, I think. But there are many people who love art, who think artfully, who aspire to poetry. I think it’s the poetic experience. We provide a place where people get to touch this stuff. It’s a way of letting out their own story, their uniqueness.”

Having instructors who can provide the context and history behind the ceramic arts is important, he said.

“Look at the phenomenon of places around the country that I’ll call ‘You Glaze It.’ (Customers) buy a plate that somebody else has made, and they pay for the opportunity to sit there for an hour or two and glaze it, decorate it. No instruction, no knowledge of the history of clay, no cultural context. But they pay a premium to make this thing that will then be theirs.

“On the other side of the coin, look at what happens here. They know what clay really feels like in terms of the forming of it. They see slides and videos and presentations of the history of the material, from modern to ancient times. They see its connection to the landscape, buildings and the garden.”

In June 2004 Dahlquist merged his business with RDG Planning & Design and has since collaborated on a number of urban art projects throughout the country. However, he still manages to spend about a fifth of his time teaching.

“I think the educational program that we offer here now, which is still part of a larger business, complements what we are able to do,” he said. “I have students who have gone on from taking classes to having their own studios, and now they’re selling their own work.”

For Diane Mohrfeld, who retired a decade ago after teaching art at Dowling Catholic High School for 22 years, participating for the first time in one of Dahlquist’s classes through the Art Center this year has been like a kid finding the key to the candy store.

“What’s wonderful about this is that ceramics is the sort of thing you can’t do in your home very easily because you need a kiln and you need space and it’s very dirty,” said Mohrfeld, who is currently working on a set of decorative garden balls. “So if you come here, you have access to this wonderful space. Your things are fired, you can have someone get the clay ready for you, and you can just concentrate on what you want to create.

“And, you also have access to David Dahlquist, who is just a wealth of knowledge. And there are all these other people who are taking the class who are just phenomenal. The range of things that are being done here is just an inspiration every week.”