
June Featured Artists
Brian Geier, Sarah Haven, Ellen Kleckner, Kimberly LaVonne, Matt Watterson

Lakewood, CO
Brian Geier
Brian Geier is a studio potter working out of Lakewood, CO. He focuses on making decorative and functional ceramic pieces using porcelain and crystalline glazes. Geier’s background in geography is the main source of inspiration for his crystalline glazes, specifically the mineral, ocean jasper, which is part of the quartz family. His beautiful surfaces and the process behind achieving such wonderful surface variation is what interests Geier most—no two crystalline pieces are ever the same. Geier received his AA from Waubonsee Community College (Sugar Grove, IL) and his BS in geography from Northern Illinois University (DeKalb).

Ellensburg, WA
Sarah Haven
A theatre major in undergrad, Sarah Haven took a ceramics class for fun, and over 20 years later, clay remains a staple of her life. In 2003, she relocated to Washington from Ohio for graduate school and decided to stay, enthralled with the Pacific Northwest. During the day, Haven works at a local nonprofit arts center, and at night she can be found pinching pots in her basement studio.

Cedar Rapids, IA
Ellen Kleckner
Ellen Kleckner is an artist and educator whose practice weaves together community engagement, material investigation, and collaboration. Kleckner utilizes the visual and mechanical vocabulary of makers and craftspeople to create forms that provoke ideas of utility while questioning recognizability.

Detroit, MI
Kimberly LaVonne
Kimberly LaVonne is a ceramic artist who handbuilds forms adorned with graphic illustrations depicting parts of her Panamanian heritage, family, connection, and remembrance.

Jingdezhen, China
Matt Watterson
As a ceramic artist, Matt Watterson finds a certain level of nostalgia and affinity in the cup. He believes the cup is one of the most intimate objects we interact with on a daily basis. It welcomes generously; it asks to be held and brought to our lips. Watterson’s cups are made with a translucent porcelain and are fired three to four times each. They are all hand painted, contain real gold, and are unique in their own way.