CLAY STUDIO - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Teaching Artist
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Programs Assistant and Facilities Technician
C Aguilera is originally from Rochester, NY and joined the staff at The Clay Studio mid 2023. Ceramics and cycling are C's biggest passions. C remembers their first experience with clay in kindergarten and began to take it seriously in high school, creating their own independent study classes. They received their BS in Ceramics and Design from SUNY Buffalo State in 2020. After graduation and taking a step back from the art world, C worked as a bicycle mechanic around Philadelphia only to find themselves thinking about clay and itching to get back into the world of ceramics.
Carin Sankus earned an MFA from the University of Florida and a BFA in Ceramics from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2007. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at The Clay Studio of Missoula and Peter's Valley School of Craft in Layton, NJ. Carin taught high school ceramics before becoming a post-baccalaureate student at Tyler School of Art, Temple University, in Philadelphia. Carin exhibits her work nationwide in invitational and juried exhibitions.
Job Titles:
- Operations & Finance Manager
Rooted in the ceramic process, Charity Thackston is a multi-disciplinary artist largely invested in social practice. Housed in playful mischief and fueled by a fondness for word play, her work is at times performative or participatory. The starting point for her work is a word or a phrase. This can manifest itself quite literally; other times the word or phrase evolves into a larger body of work that involves cast objects and incorporates music and pop-culture to encourage viewers to laugh while questioning larger issues.
Thackston received her BFA from Keene State College in Keene, NH and completed a Post-Bacc in ceramics at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA before pursuing her MFA at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA. Thackston was a curatorial member of the Philadelphia gallery PRACTICE from 2014-2018, and has curated and shown her work throughout the United States.
Job Titles:
- Development Manager
- Writer
Originally from Wyoming, Chase is a writer with a degree in art history from the University of California, Berkeley.
Job Titles:
- Events Coordinator & Facilities Technician
Job Titles:
- Associate Artist Representative
Duc Tang received his BFA in ceramics from Tyler School of Art. He is an accomplished ceramicist, working in both wheel and handbuilding techniques.
Duc fell in love with teaching while assisting classes during his undergraduate studies as he enjoys working with people of all ages! From precious little young'uns to bigger grand'uns and everyone in between. Duc teaches the adult ceramics classes, currently, and has inspired his students to greatness!
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
Host David Reibstein is joined by Suneal Bedi (Doctoral Student, the Wharton School), Jennifer Zwilling (Curator of Artistic Programs, The Clay Studio), and Sasha Koozel Reibstein (Professor; Director of the Boehm Gallery, Palomar College) on the Monday, April 2, 2018 edition of Measured Thoughts.
Jennifer D. Martin was named Executive Director of The Clay Studio by its Board and Executive Committee in March 2018.
Martin brings years of strategic know-how, comprehensive industry knowledge, and invaluable perspective to this role, having served as the Studio's Vice President for six years, and the Director of Education and Operations prior to that. Since first joining The Clay Studio in 2007 as its Senior Studio Technician, Martin has worked closely with the organization's leadership and its staff to strategically manage operations, direct projects and programs, and inspire internal and external teams.
"The Board and senior staff were enthusiastically in support of appointing Jennifer as our new Executive Director," said Michael Lukasek, President of The Clay Studio Board. "She has been intimately involved in every aspect of The Clay Studio for more than ten years and is the ideal person to advance our mission and lead us through this exciting new chapter as we build a state-of-the-art facility."
Job Titles:
- Curator and Director of Artistic Programs
- Director of Artistic Programs
Jennifer Zwilling is the Curator and Director of Artistic Programs. She joined The Clay Studio in 2015 and administers the Resident Artist Program, Exhibitions, The Collection, and the Guest Artist in Residence Program. She earned her BA in History from Ursinus College and MA in Art History from Temple University, Tyler School of Art. Previously, she was Assistant Curator of American Decorative Arts and Contemporary Craft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Jennifer developed and taught History of Modern Craft at Tyler School of Art for ten years, and has taught and lectured around the world. She represents TCS as a founding Board Member of CraftNOW Philadelphia.
Josie Bockelman, Deputy Director, oversees daily operations and ensures the level of excellency from staff and programming that allows us to continue attracting artists, students, and collectors to The Clay Studio. Previously the Director of Education, Bockelman strengthened the Claymobile program and the School, allowing both to grow and reach increasingly more students each year. Since earning her Bachelor of Arts in ceramics from Whitman College in 1999, Bockelman has been dedicated to non-profit community art education both as a teaching artist and program administrator. She believes strongly in fostering an educational community that is vibrant, inclusive and supportive.
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Manager
Job Titles:
- FAO Schwarz Fellow & After School Program Coordinator
Kayla Johnson began work with the Clay Studio in 2021 as an intern from Temple University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Community Engagement. This program included a concentration in human services. Her previous work was with the Free Library of Philadelphia LEAP program, as well as with Education Works.
Kayla enjoys engaging in creative and explorative arts programming whenever possible. Her role currently involves working with Claymobile, as well as the coordination of the Clay Studio's After-School Program. She has interest in justice, inclusivity, and mindfulness, all of which she hopes to include in afterschool curriculum development.
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Teaching Artist
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Teaching Artist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Retail Manager
- Retail Manager & Gallery Coordinator
Naimah Stith is the Retail Manager and Gallery Coordinator for The Clay Studio. She has a varied work background that gives her niche expertise of the workings of a space that focuses on hand made clay art. She has been working in clay for over twenty years and has taught clay classes for over seventeen years. Meanwhile, Naimah has managed for a large retailer for fifteen years, learning the ins and outs of running a fiscally responsible business.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Administrative & Programs Assistant
Nikki Seng is originally from the Greater Philadelphia area, but has been residing in Old City for around 3 years. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, for which she studied contemporary and conceptual drawing, sculpture, and mixed media installation. Nikki is fairly new to the ceramics world, but has been experimenting with hand building over the past few years, including coil pots and slab building. In addition to being an artist, Nikki is an administrative professional who is extremely excited to be working with the office staff at the Clay Studio!
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Teaching Artist & Studio Coordinator
Nitza Walesca began taking classes at The Clay Studio in 1993, and has continued her ceramic education here since that time. She is a vibrant member of The Clay Studio staff and community through her teaching in our school and for the Claymobile. Walesca also teaches at community arts centers and universities around Philadelphia.
As an artist, Nitza Walesca creates innovative vessels based on traditional forms and adorns them with Taino symbols. Her indigenous Puerto Rican, Taino heritage serves as a strong inspiration. Nitza was introduced to ceramic art by her high school art teacher, and then continued her education through The Clay Studio. She is now a Claymobile Teaching Artist and Community Engagement Assistant at The Clay Studio, as well as a resident of our new neighborhood, South Kensington.
Project artists Roberto Lugo and Jennie Shanker, myself, and my colleague Josie Bockelman developed four art making activities to pair with discussion questions. Each event combined a clay based art making project with discussion topics focused on participants thoughts about their neighborhood: past, present, future, fears, and hopes. The core concept was based on the idea that people experience a decline in stress hormones, and an increase of brain activity while working with their hands, thus creating the perfect environment for meaningful conversation.
Job Titles:
- Resident Artist Representative
Job Titles:
- Retail & Gallery Assistant
Sarah Chenoweth Davis, porcelain and pastry addict, grew up in the Midwest and earned an MFA in Applied Craft and Design from the Oregon College of Art and Craft and the Pacific Northwest College of Art, and a BA in Biology from the College of Wooster, OH. Her work has been exhibited throughout the US and in Japan and has been featured in various publications including Ceramics Monthly, The Journal of Australian Ceramics, and the interactive e-book American i-Pottery.
Community-focused, Sarah is a past President of the Oregon Potters Association, served as an on-site coordinator for the 51st annual NCECA conference, and wrangled potters as a Coordinator for Gather:Make:Shelter, an ongoing city-wide collaboration between housed and houseless artists of Portland, OR.
Sarah most recently managed Eutectic Gallery in Portland, where she lived for 20 years before relocating to the Philadelphia area in 2021. She now serves as a Studio Assistant and Teaching Artist at The Clay Studio and teaches at Perkins Center for the Arts in New Jersey. Sarah maintains a home studio in South Jersey with her husband Brian, a musician, and plays drums and sings for their band, The Sidewalk.
Tracy Segal joined The Clay Studio staff in November 2018. Tracy is a non-profit fundraiser with 25 years of experience helping organizations achieve their mission through fundraising, strategic planning, and partnerships. Tracy comes to The Clay Studio having most recently worked with Pathways to Housing PA, an agency dedicated to housing chronically homeless individuals in Philadelphia. At Pathways to Housing, she was responsible for all aspects of the development program.
Tracy's background includes years gaining expertise in grant writing, individual giving, sponsorship development, and event planning, as well as strategic planning, non-profit management, program development, and leadership training. Tracy has a successful track record in a variety of non-profit sectors, including homeless and social services, consulting, as well as the performing and visual arts. She spent five years with the Main Line Art Center and Astral Artists respectively.
Tracy has a long-held passion for what others can create in clay while admitting she cannot center anything on the wheel - she can, however, pattern draft and construct a Victorian dress, holding an MFA in Costume Design from Temple University and undergraduate BA and BFA degrees from the University of Massachusetts in Theater and Art. Tracy is a longtime fencer with The Fencing Academy of Philadelphia, and has run three marathons; all these years later she still wonders why she thought running 26 miles would be fun. Tracy serves on the board of a local dance troupe, Brian Sanders' JUNK. Tracy lives in Ardmore with her husband Mark and son Eli.
Job Titles:
- Exhibition Projects Coordinator
Trinity Dubois (she/they) grew up in NYC and is currently persuing a BA in Art History at Drexel University. Trinity started at The Clay Studio in the summer of 2023 as a Curatorial Assistant through a Drexel intership. Now, as Exhibition Projects Corrdinator Trinity is involved in planning and execution of shows in our exhibition spaces.
She enjoys trinkets, crocheting, and learning new crafts. The most recent craft she has tried is throwing clay here at The Clay Studio.