Tom Jaszczak received a BA in visual art and a BS in biology with a minor in chemistry from Bemidji State University (MN). In the fall of 2015, Jaszczak began a three-year residency with his wife, Maggie Jaszczak at the Penland School of Craft (Mitchell County, NC). In 2018, the Jaszczaks put down permanent roots in Shafer, Minnesota, where they live in a farmhouse and work in a barn-style studio. Jaszczak’s current body of work comprises a range of pots made of red earthenware that explore minimalism and are finished with a cone 2 soda-fired surface.

Lisa Orr creates low-fire pottery intended for use in everyday life. Though rooted in the deep history of ceramics, her forms are fluid and often gently asymmetrical—a combination of the clay’s natural expression and her own inspiration in the moment. Her slip work and relief decorations along with her rich colors suggest images of sky, coral reef, or flowers in bloom. The work is a riot of color, energy, memories, and emotion, all of which come together to create finished work that is cohesive and confident.  

Colleen Riley’s work is a reflection of her connection to the ever-changing rural environment surrounding her home studio in Eureka Township, Minnesota. Her pots celebrate the historic ceramic tradition of decorative botanical imagery by employing the patterns and textures of the Minnesota landscape—spring wildflowers, a carpet of decaying leaves in the woods, or the contours of a freshly plowed field. Atmospheric firing gives a complex, aged quality to the clay’s surface, which ensures that each piece is lively, unique, and inviting to the touch.