JCCFS: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in your medium. How did you get started?

KS:I have been discovering the power of clay for nearly 25 Years. After receiving my BFA from Georgia State University in 2007, I have worked as a studio technician, assisted production potters and attended Craft Schools throughout the US as a studio assistant. I created 500 Mugs for the 2020 Penland Annual Benefit Auction which took nearly 1.5 years for me to complete.

JCCFS: Tell us more about your class’s specific technique or process.

KS: “Get a Handle On It” is about exploring the multitudes of ways to elevate your drinking vessels with the attachment of handles.

We will consider varieties on form and tools available to create the most aesthetic and functional mugs. We will explore techniques such as pulling, throwing, cutting, extruding and rolling shapes to bend and manipulate into handles.

By sharing our ideas, students will be able to visualize the multitudes of options for attachment styles, shapes & sizes, and embellishments to enjoy while drinking your hot beverage of choice! Join me as we get a handle on it!

JCCFS: What can students expect to leave your class with?

KS: This weekend long experience will be about exposing ourselves to new ideas and viewing form in relation to function. Each student will contribute their perspective which will hopefully expand our ideas of what makes a pleasant mug.

We will each be creating our own Handle Pulling Tool to utilize during the workshop and take home. Students are welcome to take home greenware to complete the process while I will encourage everyone to view this as an opportunity to let go and explore ideas without the “attachment” to a final product. Hehe see what I did there!

JCCFS: What do you enjoy most about teaching?

KS: I started my teaching journey in Philadelphia with a Youth Outreach Program. I will never forget the look on children’s faces when they realize that they could create anything they could imagine. I began teaching one time wheel lessons and was always amazed at how people could just get it.

Over time I started offering long sessions and loved watching groups form where one day a week people could step out of themselves and explore their creativity. It is never ending! My first clay professor in college was illuminating and I was immediately awe struck with the process.

In teaching, I hope to be able to share the 25 years experience I have and see that excitement in peoples eyes when they become inquisitive and want to know more and more and more.

JCCFS: What attracted you to the Folk School? What are you most excited about for your first time teaching here?

KS: As a Georgia Peach I have an affinity for southern Appalachia and its rich history of folk and craft culture. I find the rolling foothills offer a bit of solace from the chaotic world. I am most excited to be able to guide a cohort in an immersive experience in one of the oldest most natural materials available. I am eager to break bread with a new community share laughs and grow together.

JCCFS: Where do you draw inspiration from for your work?

KS: Truly, my own making practice is rather solitary. I enjoy drifting away in my own mind as I shape and refine the materials. The serenity of nature encourages this process as my mind can be a bit wild. The driving inspiration comes from an idea, in my mind, that eventually I will be able to share the outcome with the community. I make tableware in hopes to create an elevated environment for people to gather and share experiences. Everything that happens in the world eventually influences the work. .

JCCFS: What’s one piece or craft object you’ve made recently that you are proud of, and why?

KS: Currently, I am working to finish building out my own home studio. My making practice has taken a bit of a pause while I take these steps. I do manage a pottery studio at a Community Arts Center and get to facilitate others in their making journey on a daily basis. This brings me joy and also drives me to get back to consistency in my practice.

JCCFS: What tips would you give an aspiring craftsperson? Anything you wish you knew as a student?

KS: Make things that bring you joy. Don’t be afraid to scrap something if it is not sparking light. In the beginning, everything seems so precious. If we can learn from something and let it go it will make room for more to come. I do not believe it is possible to ever fully be satisfied and that drives my desire to continue exploring and learning new things, indefinitely.