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Jenny Beech
Jenny fell in love with clay as a high school student in Silver Spring, MD, and as a teenager decided that she wanted to pursue ceramics as a career. She went on to graduate from Towson University with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts, Ceramics concentration. While at Towson, she exhibited her work twice in the annual juried student show, winning awards for her pottery on both occasions. Her work has appeared in shows at Baltimore Clayworks, Mugi Studio, Supermud Pottery, and Clay Arts Las Vegas. Since her graduation from Towson, Jenny has worked at several studios and after-school programs, teaching ceramics to both children and adults. In 2019, she moved to NYC to pursue her career in clay, and started teaching at three studios around Manhattan. During that time, Jenny discovered a passion for teaching the potter's wheel, and grew profoundly as an artist and an educator. Connecting with students over clay is one of her joys in life, and she is so excited to be teaching at District Clay! jennyfire41 (at) gmail (dot) com. Ray Bogle Ray Bogle has been working with clay and making pots as a hobby for over 30 years. His first exposure was in high school and while he enjoyed the class he had no idea what impact this stuff called “clay” would have on his life. Following high school, he joined the Air Force where he was able to further hone his pottery skills at nicely equipped Arts and Craft centers. Over the years, he’s explored most pottery aspects and techniques, but many years ago settled in on wheel thrown Raku pieces. He found the “interactiveness” of this technique intriguing and enjoyed the immediateness of the process. Ray has explored other related low temperature firing techniques such as Pit and Saggar firing. His current work is focused on a Naked Raku, a variation of Raku where the finished pieces have no glaze and Saggar fired vessels. He’s currently a member of the CalvArt Gallery in Prince Frederick Maryland, teaches pottery classes at Annmarie Garden, and conducts private lessons and occasional workshops at his studio in Huntingtown, Maryland. Ray teaches District Clay's Raku firing workshops and also does DCC Raku events at venues outside of District Clay. rbogle (at) comcast (dot) net. Connor Czora Connor Czora is an artist, educator, and activist currently based in Washington, DC. Born in Rochester, NY, they received their BFA in Ceramics and Gender Studies from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in 2019. Czora’s art has been shown and awarded internationally, including features in the 2021 NCECA Annual: Social Recession and Time’s Best Photojournalism of 2020. Previously, Czora has assistant-taught at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and interned at Baltimore Clayworks. Czora currently teaches and works as Creative Director at the District Clay Center. As Creative Director, Connor is responsible for workshops, gallery exhibitions, annual sales and artist talks. cczora180 (at) gmail (dot) com. Julia DeNardo Julia has always loved getting lost in the process of creating. The unavoidable messiness of clay drew her to this material when she was 10 years old, and she has enjoyed it ever since! Julia received her BFA in three-dimensional studies from Messiah University in 2016, and her MAT in Education from Mount Holyoke College in 2021. She works primarily in the union of clay, wood, and fibers, and oscillates between mathematical forms and organic assemblages rooted in memory. Julia has taught Art and Mathematics abroad in Namibia through the Peace Corps, as well as in Massachusetts and here in DC. She loves working alongside students as they uncover their own creativity. Further, she seeks to inspire a passion for innovation, curiosity, and persistence in an environment where students feel safe, valued, and challenged; where their ideas and creations hold an important place in the spaces we share. julia.denardo (at) gmail (dot) com Jon Kerr Jon Kerr began working with clay in high school, continued in college and rounded studies out with classes at the Torpedo Factory. His focus is functional ceramics, and he enjoys pushing the material in new directions, always interested in novel forms. When seeking solace from a cubicle without windows day job, he renewed his passion for working with clay in 2007. Jon is the Studio Director at District Clay Center as well as wheel teacher. He helped open District Clay back in 2014. He has attended conferences and workshops ranging from NCECA in Houston to Simon Leach. He has taught pottery classes at different venues across the DC metropolitan area. stonewarejon (at) gmail (dot) com. Liz Lockett My work begins as an exploration of geometry, and my goal is for the form and surface to work together to bring the work alive. Making the work starts with a sketch representing a simple three dimensional form. It continues with manipulations on paper and in clay to define volume, and finishes with the laying of color from glaze and flame. Inspiration for my work often comes from sketches and drawings which explore form and line. I want my work to recreate the loose freedom of my two dimensional line in three dimensional form. Pottery, functional not in its connection to sustenance but in its ability to contain space, must still relate to the human body, its surface pleasant to the hand, its form interesting to the eye. “I am driven by the insatiable pursuit of the “good pot”. Successful in terms of tactile, visual, and functional attributes; lastingly significant when packed with the passion of the maker- reflecting humanity, and contributing to the craft.” Lorna Meaden elockett (at) gmail (dot) com. Jill Ross Meltzer Jill has taught beginning to advanced wheel throwing for nearly ten years at District Clay and other venues. She also inaugurated with Liz Lockett and Jon Kerr, District Clay's popular online interactive class schedule in 2020. Before moving to DC, she was an Associate at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia and a professional member of the Potters Guild in Wallingford, PA. Jill graduated with a degree in Ceramics from The George Washington University/Corcoran School of Art and has attended many workshops around the country. In her previous life, Jill was a practicing attorney in DC. Jill’s primary interest is in making functional one-of-a-kind serving pieces with a decided bent towards the decorative. Harmonizing the demands of utility with those of imparting some measure of magic to everyday things is a challenge she finds inspiring. jrossmeltzer (at) gmail (dot) com. Hadrian Mendoza Hadrian Mendoza, a stoneware potter, works with a fearless and audacious search for the unusual and indigenous forms, including expressionistic and abstract shapes. He has a deep background and interest in Southeast Asian ceramics, especially Philippine ceramics and has organized and participated in numerous regionally oriented exhibitions. Mendoza was a graduate at Mary Washington College in Virginia and a former student at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC, where he was awarded the prestigious 1996-1997 Anne and Arnold Abramson award for Excellence in Ceramics. He received his MFA in Ceramics from George Washington University. His works are permanent collections in museums and institutions in Turkey, USA, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Korea, Japan, and three of the main museums in the Philippines (the Metropolitan Museum Manila, the Ayala Museum, and the BenCab Museum). hadrianmendoza (at) yahoo (dot)com Amy Minish Amy Minish grew up in Tucson, Arizona dabbling in many mediums of fine art and taking her first ceramic class on the wheel around age 10. After college she worked as an art therapist/instructor for adults with disabilities in Flagstaff, Arizona and later joined the Peace Corps in the Republic of Vanuatu carrying her passion for teaching and the arts to the youth in her village through community murals and other craft work, alongside working with teachers and students at the local primary school. This led her to pursue a Masters in Art and Visual Culture Education with a K-12 art teaching degree at the University of Arizona following her Peace Corps service. After three years of teaching elementary and middle school art, she moved to Washington, D.C. for her partner’s job, with a new baby in tow. She now devotes her time to raising her two young children but loves to keep her creative spirit thriving through ceramics at District Clay and printmaking and other art at home. amyeminish (at) gmail (dot) com Nikki Novak Nikki has always been inspired by humans, art and the way they interact. She started working with clay in high school and has been fascinated with it since. She went on to receive her BFA with a specialization in ceramics from the University of Florida. You can always find Nikki wrapped up in some sort of creative project, as she has worked with wood, metals, and mixed media in her undergrad as well. Along with teaching and working at DCC, she currently works for a wedding florist in the DMV area. Working with this new medium has stretched her thoughtfulness in approaching 3D art and what humans are drawn to spatially. Nikki loves to challenge and encourage her students to help them see they are capable of making wondrous things. She seeks to create a space for her students to feel safe, supported and encouraged in their creative journey. nikkinovak9 (at) gmail (dot) com Mike Pappas Mike succumbed to clay’s quiet seduction in 2001 after enrolling in a wheel throwing class at Hinckley Pottery. Under Jill Hinckley’s tutelage, he quickly advanced from apprentice to instructor, and now has ten years experience teaching children and adults to throw pots, in community studios and privately. He loves throwing pots, but he loves teaching more. There is magic in centering a ball of clay, and alchemy in the firing of it; Mike strives for the magic. Mike has taught at ceramic studios in the Washington area, including District Clay, Hinckley Pottery and the Glen Echo Community Center. Michael.d.pappas (at) gmail (dot) com. Bethany Slater Bethany discovered her passion for pottery as a student at District Clay in 2017, so she is thrilled to be returning to DCC as a teacher. A lover of detailed patterns, her work focuses on geometric and Art Deco inspired designs. Always a creative, Bethany received her Bachelors of Music from the Eastman School of Music in oboe performance, and then went on to study at the Paris Conservatory as a Fulbright scholar. She currently performs with the Inscape Chamber Orchestra in DC and has been operating an oboe reed-making business for 18 years. oboe2000 (at) aol (dot) com |
