Leigh Taylor Mickelson, a resident of Ossining, NY, is an artist and independent consultant with 24 years of experience in nonprofit arts management and program development. She acquired a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and English Literature from Hamilton College and a Masters in Fine Arts in Ceramic Sculpture from Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Crafts, starting her career in arts administration in 1997 in Baltimore, MD. In 2019 she launched her consulting business, LTM Arts Consulting, LLC, focused on helping arts and culture organizations increase their impact and vibrancy in their communities.

Coupeville, Washington. Robbie is a full-time studio potter, who demonstrates, lectures, and teaches workshops nationally. As cofounder and co-owner of Cook on Clay, Robbie designs and produces flameproof cookware used by award-winning chefs, and featured in culinary shops and events. She is a mentor in her Zakin Apprenticeship Program and a member of NCECA, Slow Food, American Ceramic Society, and the Washington Ceramic Association.

Ivoryton, Connecticut. In 1992, Hayne quit a perfectly good job at a newspaper to make pots. His work has been shown at the American Craft Museum, and he has regularly exhibited at both the Smithsonian and Philadelphia Museum of Art craft shows and as part of the Minnesota Potters Tour. His work has been published in Objects for Use by Paul Smith, Design Language by Tim McCreight, the Studio Potter journal, and the Lark Books series.
 

Memphis, Tennessee. Kate Roberts is an assistant professor of art at the University of Memphis. She received her MFA and BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2015 and 2010, respectively. Her current installation work considers ephemerality and how it relates to clay and the sites around us. Kate’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including in major exhibitions such as the Scripps Ceramic Annual, Parcours Ceramique Carougeois Biennial, Switzerland, and the 2019 Korean Ceramic Biennial.

Farmington, Georgia.  Originally trained as a carpenter, Mathew comes from a long line of skilled craftsmen and craftswomen. After earning a business degree and working for ten years as an accountant, a chance encounter with a handmade pot in a friend's kitchen led him to the pottery studio and back to the familiarity and satisfaction of working with his hands. Mathew spent three years working as an apprentice to wood-firing potter Mark Shapiro in western Massachusetts and one year as an artist-in-residence at the Kansas City Clay Guild before establishing his own studio.

Brooklyn, New York. Beryl is dedicated to raising his family and dual passions for social justice work and ceramic arts.  He obtained his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law Newark and clerked for the New Jersey Appellate Court.  Beryl then joined the Office of the Public Defender, Parental Representation Unit, where he fought for low-income parents in the Appellate Court who had their rights to their children permanently terminated by the State.  There, he has been able to advocate for and give a voice to individuals who have faced injustice in our legal, child welfare, and criminal justice systems while shaping the law to promote equality and well-being for families.  Beryl found a balance in his legal career in ceramic arts later in life.  He has studied under several New York artists. He has developed a style where forms are influenced by centuries-old Eastern-style pottery and decorated in his unique style that depicts characteristics of midcentury abstract art, NYC graffiti, tattoo art, and dream state imagery.

Durham, North Carolina. Mac McCusker earned their BA from Armstrong State University and an MFA from Georgia State University. They have been a resident artist at Odyssey Clayworks and Penland and was an emerging artist in 2018 in Ceramics Monthly magazine. They have been a consistent lecturer and presenter at the National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts. Mac has taught college in Savannah and Atlanta and teaches workshops around the United States. Their work is exhibited nationally. Mac currently resides in Durham, NC and is the studio manager at Claymakers.

Fredericksburg, Virginia. Jon is an associate professor of ceramics and chair of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Mary Washington. He received a BFA from James Madison University and an MFA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He currently makes both functional and sculptural ceramic artwork. His most recent exhibitions include solo shows at Tennessee Tech University, Mary Baldwin College, and Luniverre Gallery in Cordes Sur Ciel, France.

JoAnn Schnabel was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Northern Iowa. JoAnn attended New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University (B.F.A. 1981) and Louisiana State University (M.F.A. 1986). Schnabel was a Fulbright Senior Lecturer at Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey, in 2016 and was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award from the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts in 2022. Schnabel has participated in artist residencies at the International Ceramic Studio, Kecskemét, Hungary; Banff Centre for the Arts, Banff, Canada; Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT; Robert M. MacNamara Foundation, ME; CRETA Rome, Italy, and at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in New Castle, ME. JoAnn served on the Board of Trustees at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts for twenty-eight years. She was vice president of the board of trustees from 2019 to 2020 and currently serves on the board of The Studio Potter journal. She taught at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, as a Visiting Assistant Professor in 1989 before coming to the University of Northern Iowa, where she taught for thirty-one years since 1990. Her ceramic artwork has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums, including Life Transitions, Embracing Change, a 2024 NCECA Concurrent Exhibition, The Vessel: Form and Function (2025), Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA, and The 59th Scripps Annual Ceramic Exhibition, Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, Claremont, CA.

Cottage Grove, Oregon. Halfway through his undergraduate literature degree, Hamish realized he wanted to become a potter. He started at Winchcombe Pottery in England, then completed a four-year apprenticeship with Mark Hewitt in North Carolina, followed by an MFA from Utah State University. He works as a studio potter and has exhibited widely, including in Europe, Japan, Thailand, and New Zealand. Hamish focuses on using local materials in his work. He seeks to make pots that people love to use and connect them to the landscapes where his materials come from. He is also a tea enthusiast.

Our advisors continue to be a vital resource for Studio Potter. They contribute to the journal, assist in major projects and fundraising, and offer their wisdom, advice, and guidance when called upon. We thank Paul S. Briggs, Louise Allison Cort, Leslie Ferrin, Bill Griffith, Gary Hatcher, David McBeth, and Mark Shapiro for their continued service.