Richard Notkin
Man's Best Friend
Terra cotta fired to cone 5, press molded and detail "carved with love", 2.5x2.5x.75"
100% donation by artist

Richard Notkin (Vaughn, Washington) is a studio artist who has created ceramic sculptures and teapots laden with social and political commentary for more than five decades. His art is in more than 70 museum collections throughout America, Europe and Asia. Among his awards are three Individual Artist Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and grants from the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Tiffany Foundation, and the Hoi Fellowship from United States Artists. Notkin is a Fellow of the American Craft Council, received the Honorary Membership Award from NCECA, and Meloy Stevenson Award from the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts.

Susan Carlson
Lemon with Blue Blooms
Cone 6 porcelain, 14x17"
100% donation by artist

Susan Carlson is a local Missoula artist who is a member, student and studio artist at the Clay Studio of Missoula. She attended Gonzaga University and the University of Montana where she earned a BFA. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Clay Studio of Missoula.

Heidi Kreitchet & Augusta Smith
Wood Fired Vessel
A collaborative thrown and altered vessel, made in Summer 2023 during the Wood Fire Invitational at The Clay Studio of Missoula, fired in the Clay Studio Anagama in November 2023
Wood fired stoneware, 22x8x8"
100% donation by artists

Heidi Kreitchet and Augusta Smith met during a wood firing at the Reitz Ranch during the end of his residency there in 2020. A surprise firing, fueled by free time during the pandemic, Augusta and Heidi worked shift together firing the train kiln. A friendship quickly formed, and Heidi invited Augusta to come work at AMOCA after his time at the Reitz Ranch ended. Augusta packed up and moved to California for what was supposed to be a two month visiting artist residency, and turned into a 6 month residency under the Wingate Grant. Heidi facilitated this wonderful opportunity, and gave Augusta the chance to develop an exacting firing schedule for AMOCA's largely un-used soda kiln. Heidi and Augusta collaborated extensively, making over 20 collaborative works together. To the work, Augusta brings technical expertise in throwing large scale vessels on the potter's wheel. Using hand building techniques, Heidi has an intuitive approach in creating elegant attachments for the pieces which tell a story. Over the past three years, the intergenerational duo have demonstrated at ceramic studios, exhibited their work in galleries across the US, and continue to expand their portfolios with new collections.

Tessa Hoenig
Super Spaghetti
Earthenware, nichrome wire, underglaze, glaze, 12x11x11"
100% donation by artist

Tessa Hoenig is a ceramic sculptor and illustrator interested in creating objects that feel abundant, textural, and overwhelming, physical dreamscapes of her overactive imagination. Originally from Fort Collins, Colorado, Tessa obtained her Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Pottery in 2020 from Colorado State University. After graduating, she moved to Missoula, Montana, working for two years as a Post-Baccalaureate student at The University of Montana. She is currently a long term resident at the Clay Studio of Missoula.

Kayla Noble
Woodfired Vessel
Stoneware, woodfired, 11x11x8.5"
100% donation by artist

Kayla Noble is a woodfire artist born and raised in New York's Hudson Valley. She holds a BFA in ceramics from the State University of New York at New Paltz, completed a long term artist residency at Taos Clay (Taos. NM), and has taught and given workshops at numerous community studios in New York State. Noble's practice is rooted in functional pottery; she crafts vessels in conversation with communal action, rituals of food cultivation, and the relationship of service and containment. She owes much of her exposure to clay and reverence for craftsmanship to her grandfather, Brad Benn, a practicing potter and harpsichord builder. Kayla is currently the wood fire resident artist at The Clay Studio of Missoula.

Krissy Ramirez
SEND IT Cups (set of 3)
Cone 04, Earthenware, Underglaze Variable sizes 4" x 3.25" x 3.25" , 4" x 3" x 3" , 3.5" x 3.5" x 3.5"
100% donation by artist

Born and raised in the border town of Douglas, AZ, Krissy discovered her enthusiasm for clay at Cochise College. Furthering her education, she received a BFA with an emphasis in ceramics from Western New Mexico University in 2017. Then, after completing a 2 year artist in residence program at WNMU she moved to Montana without visiting the big sky. During her time in Missoula she has been part of; the post-baccalaureate program at the University of Montana, co-founded and was a resident artist at Wildfire Ceramic Studio and is currently making work in a new private space called Speakeasy Clay Studio alongside other amazing artists. Krissy is currently a resident artist at The Clay Studio of Missoula.

Casey Zablocki
1 Bottle 2 Cups
Woodfire ceramic, Bottle 4.5x4.5x7, Cups 2x2x2.5"
100% donation by artist

Casey Zablocki was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula. He received his BFA from Finlandia University and studied ceramic design in Kuopio, Finland. He has studied as an apprentice to Peter Callas and designer/artist Hun-Chung Lee. He did post baccalaureate studies at Montana State University for one year. Casey was the Woodfire resident at the Clay Studio of Missoula from 2013-2015, and currently maintains an active studio practice in Missoula.

Chris Alveshere
Two-Tone Cookie Jar
Wheel thrown colored porcelain, 7.75x7.75x8.5"
100% donation by artist

Chris Alveshere's pots are an investigation of items he finds curious, feels sentimental towards, or objects he finds humor in. This investigation could come from the object's surface, form, or most often from an intriguing proportion or scale. Inflated swells, large knobs, and enamel-like sheens from sanded surfaces and glazes create exaggerated, vibrant pieces. In Spring 2020, Chris received his Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Prior to his graduate studies, Chris spent several years as an arts educator in Minnesota and North Dakota. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education & Bachelor of Arts in Ceramics from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Chris was a long-term resident at The Clay Studio of Missoula from 2020-22. He is the co-founder of Workroom Montana and teaches community programming locally.

Phil Mahn
Lidded Jar
Mid range ceramic, wood fired, 23x22x22"
100% donation by artist

Philip Mahn was born and raised in Great Falls and currently lives near Missoula. His development as a potter has been through independent study, mentoring, and a variety of community ceramic studios like the Paris Gibson Square, The Clay Studio of Missoula, University of Montana, and the Archie Bray Foundation. His work is a collaboration of the intuitive interaction with clay and the embracement of the firing processes that make it uniquely ceramic.

Matthew O'Reilly
Moon
Soda Fired Ceramic and Acrylic Sheet 12" x 12" x 1.5"
100% donation by artist

Matthew O'Reilly is a Canadian emerging artist interested in the complexity of a person, catalyzing conversation, and figurative ceramics. He completed his MFA at the Alberta University for the Arts where he advanced a visual vocabulary wielding the grotesque and satire in tandem with public stautary. Following his formal education, Matthew was a year-long artist in residence at the Medalta Clay Center in Medicine Hat, Alberta, where he developed new bodies of work investigating the tension between individuals and collectives. Matthew has been the recipient of notable awards, including the First Place NCECA Graduate Award of Excellence (2021 NCECA Juried Student Exhibition), and most recently, the 2022 Winifred Shantz Award for emerging ceramic artists in Canada. Matthew is currently a long-term resident artist at The Clay Studio of Missoula.

Shalene Valenzuela
A Toast to Burning Desires: Fondue Party
Slipcast earthenware and cone 6 porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 7"x9"x5"
100% donation by artist

Shalene Valenzuela was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. She received a BA in Art Practice at the University of California at Berkeley and an MFA in Ceramics from California College of Arts and Crafts. She has participated in artist residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and the LH Project and has taught at Flathead Valley Community College, University of Montana, Oregon College of Art and Craft, and various art centers in Montana and California. Shalene has been a guest artist and speaker at several art centers, colleges, and universities and her work has been featured in many group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally. She currently serves as the executive director at the Clay Studio of Missoula. Shalene is the recipient of the Artist's Innovation Award in Ceramics (2013) and an ARPA Grant (2021) from the Montana Arts Council.

Tara Wilson
Pitcher
Wood fired Stoneware, 9.5x5x4"
100% donation by artist

Tara Wilson was captivated by the woodfiring process during her undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee. Armed with an MFA from the University of Florida she ventured westward for a transformative residency at The Archie Bray Foundation. Montana's rugged beauty stole Tara's heart and in 2008 she planted roots and set up her studio near Helena. She has shared her expertise through lectures and workshops throughout the United States and her work has been exhibited internationally. She facilitated the Cultural Confluence Woodfire Symposium in 2018 and serves as a founding host of The Montana Clay Tour. When not in the studio, Tara can be found roaming the hills on her mountain bike.

George Metropoulos McCauley
Covered Jar
Thrown, multi-fired stoneware, 12x9.25x9"
100% donation by artist

George Metropoulos McCauley, a Greek/American potter, has had 30 solo shows and has been included in 300 exhibitions. He has taught and conducted workshops internationally. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants and his pottery and sculpture are included in international collections in 12 countries and multiple publications. McCauley continues to have a busy workshop and exhibition schedule and still finds time to produce his own local television show," George's House of Interesting Things" on HCTV, and "GHOC Wednesday Night Videos on the internet. He has 2 films to his credit, "Archie C. Bray, Life at the Brickyard" 2008 and "Ron Meyers and the Usual Suspects" 2013. Additionally McCauley has been working with the low income and disabled community for 40 years. He maintains a studio at his home in Helena, Montana where he makes colorful earthenware pots, high temperature wood firing, earthenware wood firing and narrative sculpture. Along the way he has worked as a chef in a Greek restaurant, full-time cowboy/horse trainer, concrete inspector, aluminum siding salesman, western catalog model, lifeguard and carpenter.

Cathy Weber
4 Yellow Birds on a Wall Mount Branch
Ceramic and wood, 11x42x15"
75% donation by artist

Cathy Weber grew up in the Midwestern US, studied at the Herron School of Art and Indiana University, and completed a formal painting apprenticeship in Mexico City. In 1981 she moved to Montana, where she maintains a studio in historic downtown Dillon. Skilled in a variety of media, Weber's work is motivated by an increasing sense of urgency to make things of beauty in response to war, injustice, greed and violence. Weber finds comfort and hope in the process of creating beautiful images of common objects.

Julia Galloway
Pitcher
Porcelain, 13x7x6.5"
100% donation by artist

Julia Galloway is a potter and a professor at the University of Montana, Missoula. Julia has exhibited and lectured at more than 300 venues across the United States, Canada, and Asia and her work is in the collections of the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Ceramic Art, and Alfred Ceramics Art Museum. She has served on the Board of NCECA, the Archie Bray Foundation, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and the Green Task Force. Julia was awarded a United States Artist Grant, the NCECA 2023 Fellows Council Award, and was named a Distinguished Scholar at the University of Montana, first person in the arts to receive this award since 1986.

Beth Lo
Let's Have Some Soup
Thrown and slip cast porcelain, underglazes cone 6, 2 bowls each 7.5x5x5"
100% donation by artist

Beth Lo is a ceramic artist and retired professor from the School of Art of the University of Montana. She has exhibited her work internationally and has received numerous awards for her work including the USA Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Beth and her sister, author Ginnie Lo, have collaborated on two children's picture books, Auntie Yang's Great Soybean Picnic (2012) and Mahjong All Day Long which won the 2005 Marion Vannett Ridgeway Award. She has also collaborated with her mother, Chinese brush painter, Kiahsuang Shen Lo. Beth is also active as a bass player and vocalist for several musical ensembles including The Big Sky Mudflaps and Salsa Loca. The Big Sky Mudflaps is a swing and jazz ensemble that has played on the NBC Today Show and the Kool Jazz Festival among other national venues.

Courtney Murphy
Candleholder
Handbuilt and wheel thrown earthenware, glazed to cone 01, 3.75x10.5x2.5"
100% donation by artist

Courtney Murphy began working in clay while living in Brooklyn, NY. After several years of working for potters around the city, she moved to Portland, OR and received a post-baccalaureate in ceramics from the Oregon College of Art and Craft. Courtney moved to Montana in the summer of 2009 for a ceramic residency at the Archie Bray Foundation. She was a resident at the Clay Studio of Missoula from 2012-2014, and currently serves on the board of directors.

Elisha Harteis
Bunny Mischief
White earthenware, underglaze, oxide washes, luster, 4x4x9"
100% donation by artist

Elisha is a ceramic artist living in Missoula, MT. She received her BFA in Ceramics from the University of Montana and has continued her education by completing a short term residency at Red Lodge Clay Center, a studio assistantship at the Arrowmount School of Arts and Crafts, and a short-term and long-term residency at the Clay Studio of Missoula. She loves working with kids and sharing her passion with ceramics by teaching in after-school programs and other art programs in Missoula.

Renee Brown
Azure Lichenite, Raindropium
Ceramic with mixed media, 20x19x3.5"
100% donation by artist

Renée Brown spent many summer days playing in the creek bed next to her home growing up in Conyers Georgia. Clay has always been under her nails. In 2002 Brown left the Interior design field to pursue her MFA in Ceramics at the University of North Texas. Upon receiving her degree, she completed several artist residencies in Montana including: The Archie Bray Foundation, Red Lodge Clay Center, and The Clay Studio of Missoula. She now maintains a studio in her home in Missoula, Montana.

Grace Orwen
Routine Bud Vase
Midrange stoneware, glaze, underglaze, 5"x4"x6"
100% donation by artist

Grace Orwen is a ceramic artist from a small community in Nebraska. In 2021, she received her BFA with an emphasis in ceramics and painting from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. Since then, she worked as an instructor at the Lux Center for the Arts and completed a year-long residency at the Iowa Ceramics Center and Glass Studio. Her work heavily focuses on surface decoration and illustration. In part a collaged autobiography, it explores the humor in shared cultural values, differences, and struggles. Grace is currently a long-term resident artist at The Clay Studio of Missoula.

Sarah Jaeger
2 Plates
Earthenware, hand built, maiolica glaze, over glaze decoration, 10.5x10.5x1"
100% donation by artist

Sarah Jaeger has been a studio potter in Helena, MT since completing her residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in 1987. She was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Montana Arts Council (1996), and a $50,000 unrestricted Target Fellowship from United States Artists (2006), and was one of the artists profiled in the PBS documentary, Craft in America (2007). Montana Clay designated her to be the 2019 Potter Laureate. After developing a neurological disease in recent years, she went from making wheel thrown porcelain pots to hand building earthenware. She has taught at schools and art centers in the US and Canada, and her work is in public and private collections, and most importantly, in many kitchens throughout the country.

Richard Smith
Serenity Cairn
Wood fired stoneware cone 12, 10x13x5.5"
100% donation by artist

I am a ceramic artist exploring the methodology and aesthetic of wood and soda fired ceramics.
Through abstraction of objects and shapes, I convey a vague sense of visual familiarity, while rejecting traditional depictions of these forms. My intent is to build a sculptural form that will initially grab the viewer's attention, followed by a more detailed inspection of the surface color, crackage and texture. My goal is to build contemporary sculpture that lends itself to this fascinating niche expression.

Recently, I have chosen a content path that includes objects such as cairns, beacon towers, and totems, that serve as metaphors for physical route or metaphysical path finding.

Mo Gary
Shelter
Cone 6 Porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 13.5x4.5x4"
100% donation by artist

Mo Gary's passions are gardening and art. Decades ago she started growing vegetables, making pottery, and weaving baskets. Dirt, clay and plants consumed her as they kept her in the natural world. Mo must have flowers with her always. Wood firing clay drives her wild. Mo's work is diverse, organic, intricate, and personal. She cannot keep her hands off of it. It speaks of growth and bloom.

Jon Bonnicksen
Mirror Black Beauty Hare
Clay, glaze, nail polish, cone 6, 16"H x12"W x9"D
100% donation by artist

Jon Bonnicksen was raised in Los Angeles by artistic parents who worked in the animation business. He grew up around art but did not follow that path initially. He received his bachelor's degree in Resource Conservation and a Master's degree in Counseling. He then practiced as a psychotherapist for 15 years. Jon has dabbled in ceramics since middle school. In 2011 he started taking classes at the Clay Studio of Missoula. He became serious about his work four years ago when he began sculpting animals. He enjoys playing with metaphor, persona, and duality.

Richard Notkin
Oil & Water
Terra cotta fired to cone 5, press molded and detail "carved with love" , 2.5x2.5x.75"
100% donation by artist

Richard Notkin (Vaughn, Washington) is a studio artist who has created ceramic sculptures and teapots laden with social and political commentary for more than five decades. His art is in more than 70 museum collections throughout America, Europe and Asia. Among his awards are three Individual Artist Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and grants from the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Tiffany Foundation, and the Hoi Fellowship from United States Artists. Notkin is a Fellow of the American Craft Council, received the Honorary Membership Award from NCECA, and Meloy Stevenson Award from the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts.