Baltimore Clayworks–Take a Class

Take a Class

Teachers

LORNA AWALT began taking pottery courses at Baltimore Clayworks in 1998 and became obsessed with the process of making functional pottery. Lorna currently lives and works in Annapolis, MD and has been an instructor for Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts since 2007. She continues to attend workshops across the country when possible in addition to exhibiting and selling her artwork in area shows and galleries. Her functional pottery is influenced primarily by nature and music, and most of her pieces include altering and carving. Additional information and images of her current work are available at: www.adagiostudio.com

KYLE BAUER is a native of Southern Illinois. He graduated in 2003 with a BFA in Sculpture from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and again in 2011 with an MFA in Ceramics from Louisiana State University. Kyle’s work is an exploration of both traditional and alternative ceramic processes that are realized within the context of mixed media sculpture. Additional information and images of his current work are available at: www.kylejbauer.com

DEBORAH BEDWELL is executive director at Baltimore Clayworks and one of its founding artists. She has received much acclaim for her success in creating Clayworks’ community arts programs, which for more than 16 years have made the arts accessible to underserved individuals throughout Baltimore and the region. Her extensive knowledge of contemporary ceramics has taken her throughout the US and abroad where she has served as a panelist, curator, lecturer and workshop presenter. In addition she is an accomplished potter who continues to exhibit her clay work both locally and nationally.

PATTY BILBRO graduated from Haywood Community College Clay Production Program and completed her BA in Psychology at the University of North Carolina, Asheville. Prior to relocating to Baltimore, Patty worked as a resident artist and instructor at the Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts in NC from 2008-2010. Patty’s background in psychology combined with her love of illustration, subtlety, and humor provides an endless inspiration for her narrative functional pottery. Additional information and images of her current work are available at: www.pattybilbrofoxfirepottery.com

RICK BISGYER was surrounded by the graceful curves of both fine ceramic art and sailboats in his youth, growing up with his parents’ collection of contemporary pottery, and sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. He finally got his hands in clay at Glen Echo Pottery, outside of Washington DC, and it was not long before he built the first pottery wheel at his high school and started teaching his classmates the basics. That love of teaching has carried through his life, earning him a Bachelor of Science in Education at Georgia State University, and teaching positions in a variety of settings. For the past 8 years Rick has been a full time ceramic artist working in porcelain, finding the beauty of curving sails rising as an inspiration in his work.

AMY CARNAHAN holds a BA in Architecture and minor in Ceramic Arts from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Amy began teaching at Baltimore Clayworks in 2010 after moving to Baltimore from Little Rock, AR where she worked as an architect for 5 years. Her background in architecture has led to an exploration of space and volume within the context of ceramic vessel while employing drafting and modeling as techniques for working through concept.

MARY CLOONAN was born and raised in western New York state, receiving a BS in education from Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. She then went East to earn her MFA in ceramics from Syracuse University. She has since headed south to become a resident artist and teacher at Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland. National and international art journals have published articles she has written, as well as those written about her own work. Her work has been exhibited around the country and is in many private collections. Most artists have a touchstone of artistic epiphany; she blames that salty Play-Doh.

JIM DUGAN is a resident artist of Baltimore Clayworks where he also manages all resident artists in addition to working as the wood kiln manager since the summer of 2005. He has been working with clay since 1995 where he attended California University of PA. Since that time he has spent 4 years as the studio manager at Touchstone Center for Crafts and 5 years as the kiln technician at Vermont Clay Studio. Since his arrival at Clayworks Jim has taught a variety of classes and introduced scores of students to the communal fun and magic of firing a 2-chamber noborigama style wood and salt kiln.

PEGGY FOWLER is one of the newest members of the Clayworks community, becoming a resident artist in the fall of 2007. Her small scale sculptural vessels are inspired by her observations of nature found in the Maryland landscape, her garden and the local farmer’s market. Her work has been featured in regional and national exhibitions and she recently received a purchase award in the 2008 International Orton Cone Box Show hosted by Baker University in Baldwin, KS.

L. BEN FREUND is a sculptor and potter who is a new addition to the Clayworks community in 2012. Originally from Florida he has studied and taught ceramics across the country. Ben is an avid fan of the process of creating in clay and enjoys teaching that process and much as he does creating. His work is grounded in the thrill of discovery and often reflects mechanical and archeological forms. He has shown nationally and looks forward to showing in Baltimore.

BRETT FREUND is the recipient of the 2012-13 Lormina Salter Fellowship. He recently received his MFA from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville. Brett has traveled far and wide across the country finding his artistic voice and is excited to join the studio at Baltimore Clayworks and share his knowledge and skills with our community. He was recently announced as an Emerging Artist 2012 by Ceramics Monthly. Images of his is current work and additional information are available at: www.brettfreund.com

YOSHI FUJII was the Baltimore Clayworks 2008–09 Lormina Salter Fellow and remains a current artist-resident in addition to joining the Clayworks staff as Gallery Associate in August 2009. Yoshi received his B.F.A from University of Southern Mississippi in 2002 and his M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2008. In the Fall of 2010 he completed an artist-in-residence program at Tainan National University for the Arts in Tainan, Taiwan ROC. His interest is in wheel-thrown porcelain utilitarian and sculptural work. His current work and additional information is available at: www.yoshifujii.com

COURTNEY GOVER is a certified Spanish teacher, tutor, and professional on-line rater for the Educational Testing Service, who has been making functional pottery on the wheel for the last five years. She has studied Ceramics at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, The Potter's Guild of Baltimore, and Baltimore Clayworks. Courtney works from home on her potter's wheel, creating serving dishes, cups, and teapots, while raising her 3 year old son, Darbey.

BIANCA GROVES received her BFA from the Corcoran College of Art in 2012. She participated in a weeklong workshop at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in 2012 after receiving a Windgate Scholarship. Her goals as a ceramic artist are to seek new inspirations, ideas and to become a stronger artist. Her artwork displays a balance of design grounded in function. “I want to make pieces that are quiet and slow to balance out a fast paced world.” View her current work and additional information at: www.biankagroves.com

MATT HYLECK received a BFA from Xavier University in 1997. He is a resident artist of Baltimore Clayworks whose outstanding functional pots earned him a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship award in Craft both in 2007 and 2005. He was identified in the May 2008 Ceramics Monthly as an “emerging artist” and his studio work has received multiple awards including the 2009 NCECA Biennial exhibition and 2009 Jersey Shore Clay National. In the summer of 2005 he completed an artist-in-residence program at Tainan National University for the Arts in Tainan, Taiwan ROC. He currently serves as the education director for adult programs at Baltimore Clayworks Mt. Washington campus. You may view his recent work at www.matthewhyleck.com

TRISHA KYNER has a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA in ceramics from the University of Montana, Missoula. She has recently moved to Baltimore from the San Francisco bay area where she taught both ceramics and sculpture. Her ceramic figures have been shown at Grounds For Sculpture in New Jersey and at the California Clay Conference in Davis, CA. She is also co-founder of the public sculpture collaborative “Grendel’s Mother.”

SHALYA MARSH is the recipient of the 2010–11 Lormina Salter Fellowship. She earned a BFA in Ceramics from the State University of New York at New Paltz and has participated in numerous residencies and workshops including a Kiln God Residency at Watershed, a Studio Assistantship at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and Penland. Her work has been widely exhibited regionally and nationally. Her sculptures express the intrinsic limitation that language places on communication; through the use of decipherable codes and symbols the viewer is invited to decode the artwork’s nonsensical pangrams and whimsical definitions. She has been teaching ceramics classes and participating in teaching residencies and outreach for over ten years. Her current work and additional information are available at: www.shalyamarsh.com

SHANNON MCARDLE graduated from SUNY Fredonia in 2006 with a BFA in Sculpture. After moving to Baltimore that year, Shannon became a member of the Baltimore Clayworks community through volunteering and working as the wood-kiln assistant. In 2009 she spent a summer season at Touchstone Center for Crafts in western Pennsylvania as the Studio Resident Assistant. Shannon is currently working toward a Master's of Art in Teaching degree from Goucher College to begin a career teaching art to our youth full-time. Shannon has worked continuously since fall 2007 at Clayworks developing her work as a student, intern, work-exchange and instructor.

SARAH MCCANN received a B.S. in studio art from New York University and an MA in Community Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2008. She partners with individuals and organizations to facilitate projects that use existing systems of behavior to form deeper human relationships and create opportunities for reflection and growth. She is currently the Wide Angle Youth Media Festival Coordinator where she facilitates a group of Baltimore City high school students to plan, curate, install, and run all aspects of the Who Are You? Youth Media Festival. In addition to working with Wide Angle, Sarah teaches at Baltimore Clayworks, Mother Seton Academy, and has been the community artist-in-residence with the Stadium School Youth Dreamers. Sarah has facilitated public and collaborative projects in Baltimore and looks forward to continuing her work in Baltimore City and other urban centers.

DANDEE PATTEE recently moved to the Baltimore area after completing her MFA in ceramics at the University of Florida. Dandee makes functional pots that are influenced by the vast and generous landscape of her home-state, Wyoming. Prior to graduate school, she completed a two-year apprenticeship with studio potter Silvie Granatelli in Floyd, Virgina (07-09), an artist residency at the Lux Center for the Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska (’07), and a summer assistantship with studio potter Clary Illian in Ely, Iowa (’06). Her craft school studio assistantships include Haystack, Arrowmont, Penland, and Peters Valley. Dandee begins a Critical Studies program at the Maryland Institute College of Art in the Fall of 2012. You may visit her website for current exhibitions, publications and images: http://www.dandeepattee.com

AMANDA PELLERIN is a resident artist at Baltimore Clayworks, where she creates her sculpture and handbuilt functional works. She is a teacher at Clayworks, Maryland Hall and other venues, where her mosaic classes and workshops have produced wonderful student work. Amanda received her BFA from Maine College of Art and her MFA in Studio Ceramics from Towson University.

BRITT PETERSON SALEM received a B.A. in ceramics from the University of New Hampshire in 2009. Britt has remained active in the clay classroom, working as a teacher, program coordinator and studio technician in four New York City area studios – BrickHouse Ceramics, 92nd Street Y, The Mudpit and Mugi Studios. Her wheel thrown vessels feature a sensitive attention to line and graphic composition while remaining firmly grounded in utility.

NICK RAMEY earned a BFA from Indiana University and MFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. While in graduate school he developed an interest in using representational imagery which eventually led to a switch in focus from functional pottery to figurative sculpture. Nick creates sculptures that reveal a narrative, one that might be different for each viewer, depending on their own personal history and life experiences. It is the journey of life and the process of growing up that most influences this work. Additional information and images of his current work are available at: www.nickrameyceramics.com

ALLISON REDNOUR received a BFA from Bowling Green State University, OH in 2006. She has worked as a studio assistant for John Balisteri from May 2006 – February 2008 and as a Baltimore Clayworks studio intern from 2008-2010. Allison has worked as a Clayworks instructor since 2010. Allison combines architectural elements with utilitarian forms to create intricate vessels. Currently she is a gifted baker and cake decorator currently embellishing decadent delights at Hamilton Bakery.

ADAM SAMPSON

VOLKER SCHOENFLIESS is one of the founding member artists of Baltimore Clayworks and he is a graduate of Towson University. In addition to being an instructor with Clayworks for 27 years Volker is an instructor at the Baltimore School for the Arts and the JCC at Owings Mills. His narrative figurative ceramic work illustrates a wry sense of humor and whimsical take on human nature.

JEREMY SIMS holds a BFA in ceramics from MICA in Baltimore. Jeremy currently works as an instructor within the Clayworks Community Arts program and the Chesapeake Arts Center. As an artist Jeremy explores the romantic side of creativity and craft, delighting in the immediacy of clay between his fingers. His modern renaissance work has been recognized by art historians and curators alike and can be found peppered along the east coast. To learn more or view images of Jeremy’s current work please visit www.jeremysimsart.com

GARY SLAVINSKY holds a BFA from Alfred University in New York and an MFA from MICA in Baltimore. Gary has been a teacher at Clayworks since fall 2007 and continues to explore and refine his wheel thrown and hand-built ceramic expressions. His teaching experience ranges from college level ceramic foundations to working with pre-school age youngsters. He is currently working for Union Memorial Hospital leading online marketing efforts. You may review his work at: www.garyslavinsky.com

MICHELLE SWAFFORD is an Artist-in-Residence at Baltimore Clayworks in Baltimore, Maryland. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Michelle threw her first pots as a teenager in a recreational community center clay program, where she would later become a studio assistant and instructor. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Graphic Design from the University of Colorado-Denver in 2002, but continued to study ceramics on the side by attending workshops and classes at local art centers and community colleges. Her current work consists of high-fired functional porcelain pots embellished with colorful patterns, imagery, and architectural-style details.

JOE VITEK started with Baltimore Clayworks in 1987, and was a resident until 1995. Joe worked as hospital corpsman/medical illustration tech, and a production medical artist. In 1964 he started working with clay while at the Corcoran, studied in Tamba, Japan and has been a functional potter ever since.

JEREMY WALLACE completed his course work towards a BFA with a concentration in ceramics from the University of Wisconsin Superior in the fall of 2009. He has recently moved to Baltimore from northern Minnesota where he actively volunteered at the North End Arts Gallery. He began work as the Noborigama assistant with Baltimore Clayworks in February 2011. Jeremy’s functional and sculptural vessels explore expression through line, texture and movement.

SAM WALLACE is a traditional Jamaican potter who became a resident artist and kiln technician for Baltimore Clayworks in 1993. His work has been featured in numerous regional and national exhibitions. He was a featured demonstrator for the 1995 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Conference. Sam continues to teach and exhibit his work primarily through a wide range of artist residencies throughout Baltimore City, surrounding counties, and the neighboring mid-Atlantic region, including New Hampshire, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

DINA WESTON