Meet the ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE

Margaret Larson joins us from the Seagrove area of North Carolina, where she has been working as a studio potter and intern, having received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2019, from Guilford College, with an emphasis on ceramics.

Margaret states of her pottery: “My pots are how I indulge my need to create, while producing somebody’s favorite mug, dish, or jar. I explore themes of nature, play, whimsy, and movement by decorating meticulously thrown functional pots, either with imagery or non-representational compositions. I throw all my attention into my forms and decoration as a way to ground myself or escape reality. Every aspect of the ceramic process lets me process emotions and experiences, and each unique surface and pot I create feels like a little love note or journal entry – to myself or others. I can imbue all my care, love, and emotion into an individual piece, and the accessibility and daily interactivity of pottery allows me to share that with friends or strangers. My favorite moments are in the studio decorating, and making myself or others laugh with an idea…”

Margaret will first be working as a Teaching Assistant in support of our Wheel I classes and teaching workshops, and will lead her own classes in the new year.

Elizabeth Peña-Alvarez is a recent graduate of UMass Dartmouth where she received her second MFA degree in ceramics, with an emphasis on sculpture.

Elizabeth states in her artist statement: “In my artwork, I investigate physical and emotional trauma and the concept of Post-Traumatic Growth by incorporating universal dichotomous themes such as life and loss; growth and destruction; beauty and darkness. My visual vocabulary is informed by observations of the natural world, including flora, and human anatomy. These images are integrated into my large-scale ceramic, hand-built, highly textural, biomorphic sculptures, with focal points of meticulous detail, which are hybridized forms of botanical and anatomical elements, invoking transformative and transcendent growth…”

Elizabeth will be teaching the Friday Night Hand Building class, starting in September 2022.

Bianca Turner recently received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Hartford Art School of the University of Hartford. She specializes in ceramic sculpture and recently defended her thesis through at the exhibition Hands On! At the Silpe Gallery, Hartford.

Bianca says of her work: “Bianca Turner is passionate about art and color. The use of colors allows her freedom of expression. Given her background, both of her parents are immigrants from Jamaica who came to the United States for better opportunities and higher ambition. This has meant Bianca becoming an artist. Overall, the passion for art and the desire to create started at an early age, but ceramics is something she has focused on for 5 years. Bianca feels this is a great medium for expressing feelings without having to verbalize them. Having an opportunity to work in clay and being able to visually connect her vision with others is essential to Bianca. Clay allows her total freedom to create.”

Bianca will first be working as a Teaching Assistant in support of our Hand Building classes and teaching workshops, and will lead her own classes in the new year.