The Potters Cast | Pottery | Ceramics | Art | Craft

Christina "Christy"  "Golawas born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit. Chtisty attend Michigan State University and graduated in 2013 with a BS in Packaging Science and a BFA in Studio Art specializing in Ceramics. Christy currently lives in Southeast Wisconsin where she works as a Packaging Engineer and maintains a long distance relationship with her studio. Christy can often be found driving to Lillstreet Art Center to work in the community studio and painting pots at home during the weeknights.

When I was teaching a workshop at Clay by the Bay in San Francisco, a couple ceramic artist and a designer got together with me to talk about what it would look like for ceramicists to team up with designers to help promoter ceramic work. Our two artist were Forrest Middelton and Erin McGuiness and our designer was Lane McNab. All three of our guests work in and around the Bay area.

Brooke Peiffer is a lifelong Michigan resident.  Brooke recieved her BFA from Michigan State University, where she discovered a love of clay.  Brooke's functional work is inspired by the richly textured forests, plants, and beaches of her home state, whereas Brooke's sculptural work stems from her own internal narrative.  Brooke passes her love of clay on to her students, as a teacher of high school ceramics for the last 16 years.

Todd Wahlstrom lives in Whitingham, Vermont with his wife, and potter, Aysha Peltz and their two daughters. Aysha and Todd share a detached studio building a short walk from their home. Todd’s work time is split between making and selling pots and operating StudioPro, a small manufacturing business designing and producing throwing bats and other tools for potters.

Lyndsay Meiklem Dean is, The Vegan Potter. Lyndsay discovered her passion for clay the moment she sat down at a potter’s wheel more than two decades ago. Lyndsay is the owner of Meiklem Kiln Works, which for the past 15 yrs, has offered community clay and art classes to all ages. Lyndsay is a full-time potter and instructor who loves sharing her love for the medium with others. Lyndsay works with stoneware clay and a variety of glazes to create functional pottery for the everyday foodie.

Cornelia Carey has served as the executive director of CERF+ since 1995. She is the co-Chair and founding member of the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response, an initiative to improve emergency preparedness and response in the arts sector. Before her tenure at CERF+, Cornelia ran programs supporting artists and cultural institutions at the Vermont Arts Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Maryan Pelland is a former professional writer. She went over to the clay side six years ago and never turned back. She and husband/partner, Dan, a photographer/engineer, make work in their home studio, work in a community studio, and publish an online magazine for potters

Bob Lansing is a contemporary traditional potter of the Dinē Nation. Bob's pottery is thrown on the wheel and then coated with layers of colored slip. Each piece is etched with Bob's designs that help express traditional stories with a contemporary flare.

Kameron Robinson is the Director of East Side Studios, an art studio in Anderson, Indiana that focuses on workshops, studio spaces, and community engagement. Through his work at East Side Studios, Kameron develops original artwork, teaches ceramic workshops, invests in the studios artists at the space, and works on community initiatives.

Sebastian Moh was raised on a small farm in Batu Pahat, Malaysia. Eventually Sebastian was able to move to the United State to attend school where he received a degree in product design and had the opportunity to take ceramic classes as an elective. The essence of Sebastian's work is to create a visual interest that will trigger an aesthetic response. Art is an articulated arrangement of a profound idea. "To create is divine, I just rearrange", says Sabastian. His simple goal is to make good work.

Troy Bungart is a multi-talented artist. His first love is working with clay. Troy likes to start out with a simple form and then add texture and images. Troy's love of clay is also expressed in his love of the tools used for making pottery. His handmade wooden tools are works of art in and of themselves. Troy's also makes custom brushes that are perfect for making gestural markings on his work. And best of all, Troy is my friend.

While at NCECA I had the privilege of sitting down with this group of Scandinavian potters to talk pots. Maud Andersson, Helle Bovbjerg, and Daneil Gillberg talked about how Scandinavian potters approach clay differently from American potters. It is an interesting conversation of differences. Maud practices her ceramics in Sweden, Helle does her ceramics in Denmark, and Daniel does his clay work in Sweden. Between the three of them, they represent the three countries that make up Scandinavian region.

At this year's NCECA Pittsburgh I sat down with a group of potters to talk about what it was like to put on a room show. Now a room show is not part of NCECA, but it is a side thing that happens during NCECA in a hotel room. So that was going to be the point of the conversation. As we got into this we ended up spending a significant amount of time talking about what it is like being a part of the woodfire pottery community. The participants were Denise Joyal, Chris Landers, Lisa York, and Tim Sherman.

Victoria Christen is a studio artist and instructor of ceramics at the University of Portland. Victoria uses mark making to infuse meaning into the objects she makes. All her work in this show—from the deconstructions of found objects to the functional and sculptural ceramic pieces—emphasize the potential of human gesture and touch to express memories, emotions, and moments.

Shannon Holt is a creative director exploring reductive form on a potter’s wheel in her Portland, Oregon workshop. Shannon immersed herself in clay's foundations and has been riding the tension between her design training and the expressive immediacy of this medium ever since. Guided by the allied attributes of Form and Texture, ESO ESTO wares manifest an affinity for understatement, a deep respect for craft, and the desire to elevate raw material into the realm of beautiful objects.