Playing in clay is a way for me to practice life lessons like being centered, getting messy, and letting go. I love the process of creating and being surprised by the result, and I am eager to learn more about this flexible and multifarious medium.

Fred is a resident painter as well as craftsperson in multiple fields. He finds beauty in many mediums and is particularly excited to work in wood. Part of Fred's inspiration for teaching woodworking at SCS came from teaching wood working at Camp Treetops in Lake Placid. As someone who spent most of his adult life in the classroom teaching high schoolers history, Fred found returning to teaching in the shop a very rewarding experience. Fred, a lifelong learner, has taken many classes at Shelburne Craft School, most involving oil painting, and thoroughly appreciates the opportunity they provided to learn and to create.

Executive Director, Shelburne Craft School. I am delighted to help lead Shelburne Craft School and be part of the beauty and joy created by such an incredible community of artists. I have held widely varying Non Profit leadership positions throughout my career and serving, small, magical communities has been a heartbeat of my life's work. I hold a BA and an MA in history and an EdD in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Throughout my life I have enjoyed creative pursuits and delight in the notion of working and creating in this community. At Shelburne Craft School I am most proud of our partnerships with Champlain Housing trust that resulted in the creation of an art space at Harbor Place. Additionally our Weaving Your Story program brings me great joy. Finally our community partnerships with South Burlington Vet Center, Shelburne Farms, Shelburne Museum and Age Well make this work meaningful. I live in Shelburne with my husband, Ben, who is an artist, our daughter, Rosie, who is six.

I live in the Catskills and love to explore the mountains and travel around picking up skills and hobbies. I usually look stressed out but am actually having a really nice time.

Katie Natale was raised in New Jersey and moved to Vermont from New York City 16 years ago. She has been a member of the Shelburne Craft School since she moved to Shelburne 6 years ago. An inveterate dabbler in the arts, some of Katie’s more memorable experiences have been photography classes at the ICP in NYC, woodworking at Haystack Craft School (Maine), mixed media at Penland Craft School (North Carolina), and Animal Drawing from the dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History (NYC). Katie has taken painting classes at SCS, but spends most of her ‘craft school’ time in the pottery studio. After taking pottery classes in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC, for 6 years, she was thrilled to find such a supportive, welcoming clay community at SCS. After studying Anthropology/Spanish at UMASS/Amherst, Katie spent 16 years working in magazine publishing in New York City, mostly focused on international sales and promotion for Europe, Latin America and Asia. Katie has a passion for language study and international travel and has lived abroad in Spain, Italy and Chile. Katie enjoys spending time with kids and can often be found digging in the the raised beds and working with a ‘farm-to-school’ program at the Shelburne Community School. She also runs an Open Play program for preschoolers at the Shelburne Field House. Katie lives in Shelburne with her husband, Lou Natale, and their two children. She thrives on thinking up new ways to bring creative opportunities to our community.

I have been a student of clay since 2014. In the fall of 2016, shortly after moving to Vermont, I joined the vibrant Craft School clay community where my practice thrived under the mentorship (and friendship) of Rik Rolla. In 2019, I began working out of a private studio in Burlington where I make functional pots for every day use. I look forward to connecting with others through this special & grounding craft. When I’m not working with clay, you might find me tending to my garden, cozied up on the couch with a good book, or hanging out with my cat, Penelope.