CHERYL COSTANTINI
President
About Cheryl Costantini
Cheryl and Mikio have been full-time studio potters since 1985. Prior to that, Cheryl apprenticed at 3 different potteries in Japan from 1979 to 1985. Their work is truly their own and some say you can spot a Nichibei pot from across the room.
MARI EMORI
Vice President
About Mari Emori
Clay has become my chosen medium of expression. My current work focuses on the water drop form as a metaphor for life and the environment. I use various surface treatments to address the hopes, fears, and realities we face today.
Visit her at: https://www.instagram.com/emoriceramics/
SALLY JACKSON
Secretary
About Sally Jackson
There is great satisfaction in holding a finished piece of pottery that is useful and pleasing, but what I like best about working with clay is the link it forms between the ground, my hands, and the artistic impulse that led me to the wheel in the first place.
Visit her at https://sallygravesjackson.com/
APRIL ZILBER
Treasurer
About April Zilber
Intrigued by the interaction of light with transparent/translucent media such as water, glass, and stone, I am inspired by patterns and images found in wild and tended places.
Visit her at https://zilberglass.blogspot.com/
BONITA COHN
Newsletter Editor
About Bonita Cohn
My art is born, expressed in clay. Timeless, subtle, useful and beautiful. In clay are my feelings; into the deep center I pull: it becomes a bowl.
Visit her at http://www.bonitacohn.com/
IAN BASSETT
Board Member
About Ian Bassett
Ian Bassett is a visual artist and potter living in The San Francisco East Bay. He is an Adjunct Professor at Los Medanos College and is the Co-owner of Applied Contemporary Craft Gallery in Oakland, CA.
Visit Ian at
https://www.ianbassett.com/
JOSEPH BATTIATO
Board Member
About Joseph Battiato
My life’s experiences are contained in the pots I create. My search for a deeper personal understanding is part of my creative process. The process of centering the clay, allows me to focus my thoughts and center myself. My approach to art is physical in nature. How my pots feel when I hold them is as important as the visual form they take.
TRUDY CHIDDIX
Board Member
About Trudy Chiddix
My current work combines ceramics and fused glass to create vessels, wall pieces, and abstract figures. The contrast between textured clay and shiny transparent glass adds dynamic visual interest to the pieces. I am inspired by traditional folk arts as well as by the endless variety found in nature.
Visit her at: www.trudychiddix.com
CHELSEA FRIED
Board Member
About Chelsea Fried
I love the tactile nature of pottery – both in the making and the end result. Art that you pick up, touch, hold, use. I focus on making simple and functional forms on the wheel.
Visit her at http://www.instagram.com/cf.clay
REN LEE
Board Member
About Ren Lee
San Joaquin Valley clay artist, exploring clay horizons and making lots of imperfectly provocative handbuilt sculpture objects with a side objective of exploring wide ranging techniques for the purpose of building a catalog of teaching tools. I joined the board to expand my community’s involvement/awareness in the ACGA and vice-versa. My studio is @clayhandstudios in Fresno and I love critters, home cooking, and good books.
Visit Ren at https://www.instagram.com/renleestudio/
or https://www.facebook.com/renleestudio
CHRIS JOHNSON
Board Member
About Chris Johnson
“Glass is a mystery. blowing is like a frantic meditation requiring total focus and utter detachment. No wonder I can’t get it right. I will keep trying.”
Visit Chris at his instagram site: https://www.instagram.com/chrisjohnsonglass/
or his website.
LEE MIDDLEMAN
Festival Committee
About Lee Middleman
I throw classic forms and use surface textures to give them energy and vitality, resulting in art that is both pleasing and alive. I seek to create patterns and textures that emphasize the organic interplay between order and randomness as found in Nature.
Visit him at http://www.LeeMiddleman.com
SUSIE RUBENSTEIN
Board
Member
About Susie Rubenstein
I am a potter working in porcelain making ware that defines and enlivens daily our routines. The challenge, objective and adventure are to make spirited and beautiful pieces for daily use.
Visit her at https://www.susierubenstein.com/
JAN SCHACHTER Festival Exhibit Coordinator
About Jan Schachter
I enjoy making pots for everyday use; each is a subtle variation of a form – usually created in a series. I am a perfectionist (as much as the process allows) and am constantly in search of the perfect surface and ideal form while striving to create pots that have life and vitality.
Visit her at http://www.janschachter.com
EMIL YANOS
Membership Coordinator
About Emil Yanos
Ceramic Sculptor Emil Yanos has been working with clay since 1993. Through experimentation, he has found that working with clay provides an excellent opportunity to explore color and texture. Emil’s goal is to communicate meaning, extending beyond the visual form to encourage an emotional response.
Visit him at: https://www.emilyanosdesign.com/