One market, eight ceramic artists, hundreds of pieces of art, all the good vibes. Join us for our first-ever celebration of clay arts featuring handmade works from the entire MCFM pottery crew on Saturday, August 30th! Mark your calendars, tell your friends, and keep reading to learn more about the amazing potters who will be joining us on Saturday from 8am until 1pm inside the Mill City Museum’s Historic Train Shed.
Adam Gruetzmacher, Adam Gruetzmacher
Adam Gruetzmacher is a studio potter working in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In 2010 he graduated with a bachelors degree in Fine Art from the University of Wisconsin to pursue a career as a potter. He spent the following five years at Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis where he worked as an employee and a resident artist. During that time he also completed three yearlong fellowships. He has written for and been featured in several articles including Ceramics Monthly and Mpls St. Paul magazine. Adam is interested in exploring the intersection of historical hand- making traditions and the aesthetic of utility. He takes pride in making every-day objects that work well and are crafted with care and consideration.
Alana Cuellar, Alana Cuellar Clay
“I am a second generation potter, raised in Venezuela and now living in the St. Croix Valley of Wisconsin. The pots I make are traditionally functional, but also function as sources of comfort and strength. I believe handmade objects are imbued with some quiet magic that combats isolation and boredom with humanity and joy. Most of my pots are thrown on a treadle wheel, and then trimmed or altered with added textures and patterns.”
Christy Wetzig, christy wetzig ceramics
Christy Wetzig is a potter working in Minneapolis, where she maintains a household including one husband, two young children, a bin of worms, and all the square footage of garden and orchard her urban yard will allow. She received a B.A. in art and writing from Bethel College in 2001 and has worked in clay ever since. She primarily uses porcelain, fired in a soda kiln with simple glazes and flashing slips. Her pots are inspired by the idea of function; they are made with the belief that life is richer and more human when it is accompanied by handmade vessels, made for the eye and the hand.
David Swenson, Swenwares Ceramics & Sound
Swenson’s work is historically driven in form and surface. He has spent the last couple of years combining motifs from different cultures that have similarities in feeling or shape or theme. Those motifs and patterns are then “patch worked” together to make ceramic work that pays homage to the history while collaging them in a contemporary fashion.
“My work is about nostalgia and play. These pieces are meant to evoke feelings of times past, and to revere the motifs and patterns from historical decorative arts. They offer a contemporary perspective of those traditions while re-contextualizing their content. These objects are meant to embellish the home and daily practices, as well as to provide their services and entertainment.”
Joanna Buyert, Fringe & Fettle Ceramics
“I think one of the things I love the most is finding the balance between form and function. I love the challenge of trying to make something beautiful but also works really well. My pots are meant to be used and well loved. I make bowls to be your favorite bowl because it fits the curve of your palm like no other. Grooves for nice grip and clean edges for good pouring. My food-focused pieces are influenced by my love of cooking, and made to become an essential piece of your kitchen… my pieces have a gentleness to them, a subtleness that is very inviting. I love the movement that goes into making a pot, the spinning of the wheel, the push and pull of the clay. My pots are simple and clean, a frozen moment captured in my delicate white porcelain shapes.”
Louisa Podlich, A MANO
A MANO is a Minneapolis based ceramics company owned by Louisa Podlich. Louisa makes decorative and functional ceramics priced for art collectors of all ages, including kitchenware, plant pots, ornaments and more. A MANO pieces are designed to bring cheer and happiness to the people who choose to bring them into their homes.
A MANO MEANS “BY HAND”. Louisa has been making and selling pottery since early 2014. In 2022 she started working in glass as well and has built up a large collection of functional and decorative homewares. No detail goes unnoticed and each and every bowl, cup & rainbow is made with love.
Matthew Krousey, Matthew krousey ceramics
Matthew Krousey is a fifth generation Minnesotan and his work is largely inspired by a childhood spent in the forests, prairies, and waterways of the central part of the state. He enjoys making objects that serve some purpose in the home, whether utilitarian or decorative. He currently resides in rural Minnesota near North Branch where he is a host of the St Croix Valley Pottery Tour.
“The preservation of a disappearing landscape through imagery on ceramics is the reason I create. Inspired conceptually by the regionalist painters of the early 20th century who sought to document the rural landscapes of America, I see myself as a modern Regionalist working with clay. I make pottery, murals, and sculpture decorated with the landscapes, flora, and fauna of the American landscape. My hope is that the daily use and viewing of the work will be a gentle reminder to the public of the vanishing natural world around us.”
Nick Earl, Nick Earl Pottery
Handmade functional pottery designed to enrich life and liven the spirit. Nick Earl is a potter who currently maintains his studio at the Abnet Farm 8 miles north of Stillwater. His wheel-thrown pots are influenced by medieval Korean, Japanese, and English pottery, as well as by nature, food, and imperfection.
“I make pots and am continually fascinated by the softness and reception of the clay from which they are made. When successful, these qualities translate into the finished pieces, objects that will hopefully enrich the regular ceremonies of life. I have a strong interest in art history and I try to exhibit the strength and beauty I see in old pots in my own work. Cooking is also of great interest to me and my work being mostly functional has a lot to do with the storage, preparation, and presentation of food.”
