Emily Christopherson has always been drawn to working with her hands and the intrinsic community that clay creates—ceramics is where she finds solace. She earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016, then in 2017 joined Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts (Newcastle, ME) as a summer staff member, where she further solidified her artistic voice. After returning home to Chicago, Christopherson founded EMRIS, the brand under which she produces everyday tableware and home goods.

Whether spinning her own tales, chronicling observations from the world of clay and the world at large, or facilitating other’s voices through word and form, Jill Foote-Hutton has always been committed to the craft of storytelling. Born and raised by the descendants of hillbillies, Foote-Hutton is an artist following in the tradition of medicine woman and storyteller through her creative practice dubbed Whistlepig Studio.

Ian Petrie received his BFA in ceramics from the University of Minnesota in 2013. He was awarded the Fogelberg Studio Fellowship at Northern Clay Center in 2013 and served as a resident artist at the Worcester Center for Crafts (MA) from 2016-2018. Petrie’s body of functional pottery devotedly references the comic book universe and celebrates the tradition of illustration. Using a quill pen to draw each comic frame and then screen-printing the narratives by hand, his pots reveal an intentionally imperfect style.

Melissa Mencini received her BFA from Bowling Green State University in 2000 and her MFA from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 2003. Mencini moved to Austin, Texas in 2013 to be a full-time studio artist and educator. Since moving to Austin, she has built and established her studio and she has become a core member of the Art of the Pot annual studio tour. Previous to her move south, she taught ceramics at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Before moving to Alaska, she moved back and forth between Montana and Washington state, working as a studio artist and teaching at both Eastern Washington University and at the University of Washington-Seattle. During her first stay in Montana, Mencini was a resident at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena for two years and was the recipient of the Lincoln Fellowship for one year.