The 6th Annual Minnesota Pottery Festival is proud to announce a total of 35 potters from around the United States coming to the event to showcase their work. Of those 35, 14 of them are new to the festival this year.
Bob Briscoe — Briscoe Pottery – Minneapolis, MN
Bob Briscoe is our Featured Potter for our festival this year. He has been making functional pottery for over 50 years now. He has been awarded several grants from the Jerome Foundation as well as the 2007 McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowship. Bob has been featured in a wide variety of publications and has done shows all across the globe. Most of his work has simple beauty for a pure and aesthetically pleasing look while being functional.
Ryan Ball — Ryan Ball Pottery – St. Paul, MN
Ryan Ball has taken his southern roots and curious eye to create functional pottery with using forms and textures from nature. After relocating to St. Paul after graduating from Louisiana Tech with a minor in ceramics, he focused on mastering his skills and gaining experience by making many pieces for several companies. Over the last decade he has been focusing on functional pieces such as mugs, dishes, and oil decanters.
John Bauman — Bauman Pottery – Warsaw, IN
John Bauman comes from a family of American potters who pride themselves on craftsmanship, detail, design, and functionality. He enjoys working with high-fire stoneware and porcelain to create cookware and decorative pieces. “My hope is that nobody will end up owning one of my pieces without thinking that I put more of my life into that piece than the price they paid for it.” – John Bauman
Kate Daly — Kate Daly Pottery – St. Paul, MN
Kate Daly specializes in creating functional cookware that is aesthetically pleasing. She enjoys the use of color and small hints of the Asian art of simplicity. She uses wood stamped impressions that the glazes can complement and help let the texture shine through. Her goal is to show both beauty and serenity through her Asian inspired pieces.
Tom Homann — Homann Pottery – Comer, GA
Tom Homann has been a full time potter since 1986. He moved to Comer, GA three years ago and continues to make pottery out of his own workshops. He mainly focuses on wood ash glazes which do an excellent job of showing texture. He enjoys making pottery that the customers can use on a daily basis. He wants a bond to be created between the piece and the buyer.
Anthony Huonder — Ash Pottery – Minneapolis, MN
What started out as a hobby for Anthony Huonder, turned into a lifestyle at the age of 18. He worked with apprentices that allowed him to hone in on his skills and find out what type of pottery he had a passion for creating. He loves creating pieces that reflect ‘earth’ and create beauty that can be used everyday or enjoyed from afar. He uses natural elements to keep in his earth theme.
Jason Kaping — Pig’s Eye Pottery – St. Paul, MN
As well as making functional pottery, Jason Kaping also teaches pottery classes. What was only a passion at first became a full-fledged career as a studio potter. He was featured on KARE 11 with Kevin Caufield of Caufield Clay Works for their classes and was voted Best Pottery Class in the Twin Cities. His classes cater to all ages and skill levels.
Carolina Niebres — Carolina’s Healing Vessels – Prescott, WI
Carolina Niebres is originally from the Philippines and uses their simplistic and beautiful style in her functional pottery pieces. Carolina started making pottery after she was in a serious accident. It made her realize that life is too short to not do something you love. She wants her functional pottery pieces to enhance the owner’s daily life through it’s beauty and daily use.
Nate Saunders — Saunders Pottery – Minneapolis, MN
Nate Saunders has had a passion for art since the age of five when he started taking classes at the Edina Art Center. He started taking adult level classes at the age of 11 which really challenged him to improve on his skill set. He then interned in the ceramics department and gained a knowledge of the art of ceramics that he will carry with him for the rest of his life. Nate is also on the Board of the Minnesota Pottery Festival. Recently Nate’s work has been soda/salt firing and using wood and gas reduction kilns. His pots are made for daily use and entail craftsmanship and aesthetic beauty to enhance daily life.
Amy Von Bargen — Amy Von Bargen Pottery – Minneapolis, MN
Amy Von Bargen creates functional pottery intended for everyday traditions from drinking your morning coffee, eating a family meal, to showcasing flowers. Her pieces are made from stoneware clay and are high fired to perfection.
Of the 14, there are four new, emerging artists who have only recently begun showing their work.
Reiko Cunningham Uchytil — HelloImReiko – Grimes, IA
Reiko Cunningham Uchytil is a second-generation potter whose pottery journey has been a lifelong one. She has been fortunate enough to study under her parents, which will also be at the pottery festival this year (Miky Cunningham – Cunningham Pottery). Her work reflects the American prairie by using aspects of nature like rabbits, birds, flowers, and insects.
Chris Singewald — Chris Singewald Pottery – St. Paul, MN
Chris Singewald is a busy man. He is the Clay Studio Manager at Artistry in Bloomington, a studio artist at Northern Clay Center, and teaches classes for both businesses. Chris also works part-time at the Clay Coyote Gallery and Pottery. He is very passionate about bringing positive experiences to children and adults through his classes. His pieces showcase elegance and stability for daily use products.
Gregory Palombo — Greg Palombo Pottery – Minneapolis, MN
Gregory Palombo has received countless awards for his work and has been featured in multiple magazines. He graduated from Alfred University in New York with a Bachelors in Fine Arts. He currently is a resident potter and Fogelberg Fellow at Northern Clay Center. His work stems from a fascination with objects and their ability to materialize through culture.
Gillan Doty — Gillan Doty Pottery – Minneapolis, MN
Gillan Doty has had a fascination with pottery since his teenage years when he started taking art classes at school and through local art centers. He graduated from the Maine College of Art with a degree in ceramics. He is currently a resident potter and Fogelberg Fellow at the Northern Clay Center. His current work uses soda and wood kiln styles of firing that evokes functionality and simplicity.
Come to the Minnesota Pottery Festival THIS WEEKEND to see our new potters and support artwork from around the United States. These functional pieces will make a lasting imprint on your daily life with their use and aesthetic beauty.
