Art has always been a central part of my life and identity, and of all the many art forms, I am most passionate about ceramic art. I have been working with clay since I was eight years old, and it continues to be the most alluring, fun, and challenging art form I have ever experienced. For me, ceramics is not simply a hobby; it is a passion I plan to carry with me into my adult life. I am currently pursuing a minor in visual art at Harvard College and plan to work towards an MFA after college. I am so excited to share my love of clay with SCS and the Shelburne community!

Executive Director, Shelburne Craft School. As a Shelburne resident and lifelong learner, designer and crafter I can’t imagine a more perfect setting to connect people with a creative life. I am a passionate believer in the power of working with our hands, fostering exploration, and a community-focused teaching philosophy. I am thrilled to combine my experience in educational nonprofit leadership with my love and dedication to this community.

I am from Washington, DC and am currently a Junior at Brown University where I study Judaic Studies and Art History. I started working with clay when I was 15 years old, and since then I have mostly focused on making functional ware. I believe that we have a reciprocal relationship with our objects; we get to choose what objects we put in our houses, on our shelves, and on our tables, and by doing so they become sentimentally involved in our lives. Incorporating valued functional objects into otherwise mundane aspects of our lives can turn our routine practices into more mindful and exciting events. Pottery is a roller coaster of an art form. It is my favorite thing to do, and I love to spread its magic whenever I can.

I'm a native Vermonter, now living in Chittenden County. I graduated from Montserrat College of Art with a Bachelor's Degree in Painting/Fine Arts, in 2003. In my formal artistic education, I focused primarily on classical painting, life drawing and art history. However, after a decade-long hiatus from painting, I've gravitated more toward landscape painting; finding interest in the methods of the American Tonalist painters, such as George Inness, and James McNeil Whistler.

Rik joined the Shelburne Craft School community in 2004, studying with Loreta Lanquet and Hoyt Berringer. In 2006, he started teaching kids clay classes at Burlington City Arts and became a studio assistant at the Shelburne Craft School. He is now the Craft School’s ceramics studio manager, teaches kids clay on the wheel, adult classes and is the community outreach instructor. He manages the open-studio schedule, studio monitors, kiln fires, and oversees equipment maintenance and supply ordering.

Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Ryan has been a resident woodworker at the Shelburne Craft School since 2011. Ryan received his BA from SUNY Geneseo and a Masters of Education from Johnson State College. Ryan studied furniture-making at the Vermont Woodworking school as an apprentice under Bob Fletcher. Ryan manages the wood shop, adult woodworking classes, youth woodworking classes, and open studio nights.