Catherine Lidov , Claymakers' new owner, grew up in her mother's pottery studio, where she loved to wedge, center, cone and watch the gas kiln firing. As an adult, she returned to clay at Claymakers the month that it opened, and it was like coming home. She has taken classes at Claymakers and the John C. Campbell Folk School, and has a studio at home. When she's not throwing pots, she works as a psychotherapist with an increasing focus on creativity and performance development.

Deborah Harris has been a studio potter since 1995 in Chapel Hill, NC. She has studied pottery through many local classes and workshops as well as courses at Penland and Arrowmont. Her work focuses on functional form in both porcelain and stoneware.

Ronan Peterson graduated from the University of North Carolina. He lives and works full time in his studio in Chapel Hill. He was chosen by Ceramics Monthly Magazine as one of 13 Emerging Artists in 2004; in 2005 he received an Emerging Artist Grant from the Durham Arts Council. He was a core student at Penland School of Crafts in 2000 and 2001. Ronan’s pots are decorative with some concern for function and his forms and surfaces draw heavily from the natural world. More information is available at NineToesPottery.com.

Joanne Andrews studied Art at U Mass Amherst and Mass College of Art, and is currently in the BFA program at UNC-Greensboro. She has been making pots and ceramic art for about 15 years and is currently focusing on large sculptural pieces. Joanne took a break from teaching when she returned to college, and we are delighted to have her back at Claymakers. She continues to participate in local shows.

Barbara McKenzie's pottery education began at Haywood Community College (Clyde, NC) and continued in Tokoname, Japan. In 1992, she established her pottery studio in Durham where she fires in both a Raku and gas kiln. She has participated in many workshops, including raku workshops with Rick Berman (Maryland), and Steve Branfman (NC). Her Raku pottery is represented by new Elements Gallery, Wilmington, NC.

Meredith Brickell earned a Bachelor of Design from North Carolina State University and her MFA in ceramics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She was a core student at Penland School for Crafts for two years. She co-taught the Fall Concentration at Penland in 2006.

Susan Filley has worked in clay for 25 years. Susan teaches workshops throughout the country, has lectured at international ceramics conferences, and served as President of NCECA from 2004-2006. Her work is exhibited nationally, and is included in many publications. She works in porcelain and makes pots that are both elegant and lively with color and figurative gesture. Susan recently relocated to Chapel Hill.

Martha Sue Carraway was bitten by the pottery bug in 2001 and currently creates work at Claymakers and in her home studio. She has taken numerous classes and workshops from potters including Ronan Peterson, Julia Galloway, and Cynthia Bringle.

Jeremiah Huth received a BFA in Ceramics along with minors in Art History and Business from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In Milwaukee he was the Peck School of the Arts ceramic studio technician. Most of his work is based from drawings and has recently been expressed through the use of majolica. His work deals with the ideas of excess, social icons, consumerism, and personal vanity.

Elizabeth Paley took her first pottery class in 2002 and has been hooked ever since. A professional musician, 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.

Holly Fischer has been cultivating her voice as a contemporary figurative sculptor for more than a decade. An award-winning artist, she received a BA in Studio Art from Meredith College and an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Texas at Austin. She has taught at the Savannah College of Art and Design and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Visit www.hollyfischer.com for more info.

Caroly Van Duyn is a graduate of S.U.N.Y. at Purchase, with further studies at Wesleyan Guild and The Silvermine Guild of Artists, and The Taos Institute of Art in New Mexico. Caroly was the 2006 ñArtist in Residenceî at The North Rim of the Grand Canyon, AZ. Visit www.carolyvanduyn.com to see more.

Robert DeKroon has been part of the Claymakers community since 2002. He blames his pottery addiction on his parents, having had 3 months "intensive parental guidance" in pottery before moving to Durham from Australia to escape. Upon arriving in Durham he discovered that he had unwittingly moved from the frying pan into the fire. He developed a craving for atmospheric firing during his first soda-class with Ronan Peterson. Since then he has taken classes and workshops with Leonora Coleman, Mark Peters, and Julia Galloway.

Pam Wardell grew up in New England and attended Windam College in Putney, VT, majoring in Art. She moved to Durham with her husband Chris and two sons 15 years ago and began teaching at the Durham Arts Council 8 years ago. Pam loves the flexibility and surprises with working in clay. "I love color and design, whether the pot be hand built or thrown. Watching a student 'get' centering is both a challenge and inspiration."

Sarah White is a native North Carolinian who has recently moved back to Durham after 3 years in Alexandria, Virginia. She has a B.F.A. in studio arts from UNC-Chapel Hill and a M.F.A. in Ceramic Art from the University of Colorado. She has exhibited throughout the United States and is currently working on a series of large, hand-built sculptures. She lives in Durham with her husband, Joe, and her daughters Lucy and Stella.

Dianne Freund has been working with clay since 1999, and considers it a passion. She is currently obsessing about every aspect of a mug. She has studied in workshops at Penland, Haystack and Claymakers, and has been an instructor at Claymakers for several years. She is also a Family Practice physician, and tutors medical students at UNC.

Conrad Weiser has been working with clay since the early 1960s. He was the director of the NCSU Crafts Center until his retirement in 1993. His works in stoneware, porcelain and Raku are in collections throughout the state, nationally and internationally. He shows in Tyndall Galleries, Chapel Hill, Lee Hansley Gallery and the Shibui Gallery in Raleigh, and the Green Hill Gallery in Greensboro.

Laura Korch received her BFA from Eastern Michigan University in Ceramics. In Michigan, she was the Ceramics Studio Manager for the Ann Arbor Art Factory. Prior to that, she completed a year-long apprenticeship with John Glick. Laura's work has been shown in many galleries in the Ann Arbor/Detroit area. Her pieces are mostly functional and feature carved drawings and markings. Laura moved to Durham in the fall of 2007 after attending a course at Penland.

Laura Farrow split her college years between the Maryland Institute College of Art and Montana State University, earning a BFA in 1984. Originally a painter, she began her explorations in clay about seven years ago. Laura's primary interest is in expressive, narrative, figurative sculpture that is rich in painterly and textural surfaces. Three of her bas-relief tiles were featured in the Lark Books collection 500 Tiles (2007). Laura has her own studio in Hillsborough (www.brokentuskstudio.com).

Lucia Marcus has a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art and a Masters in Education from Bank St. College and Parsons School of Design in NYC. She has taught art and drawing in a variety of settings to students from preschool to seniors for more than 25 years. Lucia works on her own art in her downtown Durham studio and has participated in classes and workshops at Claymakers since it opened.