Staff + Instructors

Executive Director

director@claymakers.org

Studio Manager

studio@claymakers.org

Program Assistant

programs@claymakers.org

Supply Store Assistant

store@claymakers.org

Amy Irish makes functional and decorative work out of her home studio in Hillsborough, NC. She uses wheel thrown pottery and a complex process of layered slip and underglazes to create one of a kind works. She’s inspired by the little things in the world around her. Her children, the garden, and preparing food for her family are all sources of joy that she hopes to share and connect with you through clay.

Anna Schroeder is a native NC sculptor and handbuilder who has called Durham home for nearly a decade. After a career in tech, she found a passion for clay through taking classing and honing her skills at Claymakers. She loves using clay to create brightly colored and richly textured creatures and pots. A forever learner, Anna is always experimenting and exploring to discover new techniques and ideas to share.

Bernadette Januska is a freelancer and artist based in Hillsborough, NC. Her goal is to keep things lighthearted with playful drawings and a “can do anything” attitude.

Charlie Evergreen is an artist native to the Carolinas, working as a painter for many years, and currently as a sculptor and potter. His formal arts education includes The SC Governors School for the Arts and The Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts, California. He also credits the other Claymakers instructors for his knowledge of ceramics. His work is influenced by science, nature, and Eastern aesthetics, and regularly evolves through experimentation. He has received grants and sponsorships from The Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties, and has been featured in 53 exhibits since 1998. His work is in both private and corporate collections.

Chis Donald has been teaching ceramics for over 30 years. He’s taught at College for Creative Studies, Henry Ford Museum, and Boston University. His current body of work is divided between functional and sculptural ceramics.

Elizabeth Paley took her first pottery class in 2002 and has been teaching at Claymakers since 2007. A professional organist and pianist, she likens working with clay to practicing a musical instrument: both processes invite one to balance technique with improvisation, to develop an appreciation for form and detail, and to discover a personal creative voice. Her pots typically start at the wheel and are often altered or combined with other thrown or hand-built elements. She enjoys the tinkering and problem-solving challenges of moving from an initial concept for a form to its realization as an actual pot.

Evelyn Ward is a North Carolina–based ceramic artist who received her BFA from California State University, Fullerton, where she studied printmaking and first discovered her love for clay. After relocating to North Carolina in 1995, she began pursuing pottery more seriously, continuing her education through workshops and classes, including a session at Penland School of Craft in 2004.

Evelyn creates monoprint-decorated pottery with simple forms and subtle architectural influences. Her work emphasizes balance, quiet surface design, and everyday usability—pieces made to live comfortably in the home

Gaines Bailey is a potter, sculptor, and educator living and working in his hometown of Raleigh. Influence for his work comes from classical forms, experience studying ceramics in Japan, as well as small details of everyday life. The results of these interests are elegant forms, often treated with altered and textured surfaces. Gaines received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Winthrop University in South Carolina and received his MFA in Ceramics from East Carolina University. He has served as Studio Manager at The Crafts Center at NC State and as an instructor at Pullen Park Arts Center in Raleigh.

Ian Cross is a Durham-based potter specializing in wheel throwing, with a focus on precision, consistent sets, and pushing the limits of scale.

He developed his craft through years of hands-on studio work and mentorship, and later became a core member of Empty Bowls in Massachusetts, where he donated thousands of hand-thrown pieces to support annual fundraising events. During that time, he also taught wheel throwing to new team members and discovered that guiding others was just as rewarding as making the work itself.

Though he works in tech by day, clay has long been his true passion, and he brings that energy to teaching at Claymakers.

James Ward is an experienced wheel throwing pottery instructor based in Durham, NC.

Jessica Sandford makes ceramics for free spirits. She loves creating porcelain jewelry and home decor in small, thoughtful batches. Her design sensibility is fueled by a desire to create inspiring objects for creative people who enjoy being surrounded by delightful handmade things as they live, work, play, and move about their day. Jessica is in love with color, shape, and pattern. She deeply enjoys teaching ceramics, community building, golden hour, homemade donuts, forest bathing, and lots of coffee.

Justin Trapp has a BFA from Herron School of Art & Design in ceramics and photography. He has been working with clay since 2005 and teaching wheel throwing for over 10 years. He makes utilitarian, fine art objects for everyday use.

Katie King is a speech therapist and wheel throwing instructor in Durham, North Carolina. In her studio, Waxing Gibbous Pottery, she focuses on creating work from wild clay, resulting in a product that is hyper local and special to Durham.

Marie Wright is a crystalline glaze potter based in Pittsboro, NC.

Nate Hood is a native NC potter who makes pots for everyday use, and hopes to embody some of the beauty, humility, ordinariness, and spontaneity of everyday life in my work. He was first captivated by salt glazed and ash glazed pots from around NC. He continues to be blown away by historical and contemporary ceramics from around the world, particularly the buncheong ware of Korea and traditions it has influenced.