KC Clay Guild Instructors
All of our instructors are friendly and skilled in a broad range of ceramics techniques. From hand building to wheel throwing and from functional pottery to ceramic sculpture, our instructors can help you get started in ceramics or reach the next level.
Learn more about each instructor below.
Abby Callaghan graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2017 with a BFA in ceramics and art history. In 2019 she received her MAT from the University of Central Missouri. She has been working with clay for 15 years and teaching ceramics at the Clay Guild for 7 years. She has also been serving on the KCCG board as Education Chair since 2020. Having set up her home studio in 2024 she currently makes most of her work from home, focusing on functional wheel thrown and slip cast work. Abby teaches the adult wheel class on Monday nights.
To see more of Abby's work, check out her instagram or website!
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Alex Watson graduated with a BFA in Ceramics from Utah State University in 2005. After graduating, he taught ceramics classes and managed the ceramics department at a small school in the Berkshires. In 2008, Watson moved to Colorado, where he lived and worked until 2013. He was an artist in residence at the Carbondale Clay Center and Studio for Artists Works. In 2010, he was a visiting artist at Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in China. Upon returning from China, Watson became a full time studio potter. He is now in Kansas City, MO and is a founding member of the Kansas City Urban Potters.
You can see more of Alex's work at kcurbanpotters.com.
Amy Meya is primarily a self-taught ceramic artist, education includes living and working in The Netherlands for five years, and extensive travel throughout Europe. Limited formal education through the KC Art Institute, and Longview Community College. A six year exhibitor at the Buyer's Market of American Craft in Philadelphia, from 2008-2013.
Check out her website.
Anne Mulvhill has been a fulltime ceramicist since the mid-90s; she specializes in functional items made from porcelain. Anne began her career in Washington, D.C. where she studied at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and was a studio potter and instructor at Hinkley Pottery. In 1999, she joined Kansas City's Red Star Studios and began teaching at the K.C. Clay Guild — where she teaches a Thursday night class for advanced potters. Anne is also a former Clay Guild board member. Anne's studio is based at Barbershop Gallery in Midtown Kansas City.
Check out her website.
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Cathy Broski
My work is steeped in archetypal and personal symbolism. Figures, houses, boats and pottery are all vessels to contain things we hold dear, and sometimes those things we would cast off. I chose these forms to work with because they have several levels of meaning I find intriguing to explore. The surfaces reflect my experience and attitude.
I love the idea of found objects, because of their wear and marks of their journeys. I see people in much the same way. When I go to a museum or a home and see these objects put into a special environment they are reborn. To accomplish this in my own work, I use a layering technique.
By using the figure as a three-dimensional canvas, the eye will travel completely around the surface. This helps to enhance the pattern or surprise in a story. Each piece begins on the potter’s wheel or with slabs. The pieces grow with the application of coils or additional slabs. When each piece is completed, I carve the surface and let it dry. The base color is applied and fired. Once the first firing is complete, I apply and wipe off a combination of terra sigilattas, slips, stains and glazes, then fire again. This process is repeated until I achieve the desired effect.
Since receiving my BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1990, I have worked in the ceramics field in many capacities.
Presently I am represented by numerous galleries, teach many pottery classes, instruct workshops, sell at art fairs, and have been published in several ceramic periodicals. In 2000, my husband and I built my studio right outside our backdoor.
You can view her work on her website.
Joseph L. Smith is one of the founding members of the K.C. Clay Guild. He has an Associate Arts of Arts from Penn Valley Community College, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and a Masters of Arts from UCM in Warrensburg, Mo. As an artist he has had over 12 one person exhibitions and participated in the Brookside Art Annual, Prairie Village Art Show, Crown Center Art Exhibition, and Laclede's Art Exhibition in St. Louis, Missouri, all of these are juried local events. In total he has been selected for inclusion for over 100 juried exhibitions across the US. His art works are part of the Sprint Collection, Truman Medical Center Collection, Gates and Sons, Gamier, & Wirth, Inc and in the collection of Christopher ( Kit ) Bond, former Governor and Senator of Missouri.
Currently he is a signature member of KWS, MOWS, TWS and a juried member of WW society. He served as Vice President of the KC Clay Guild for several years and started Raku night as a fund raiser. While on the KC Clay Guild board he suggested having a tea bowl exhibition to raise funds and to seek grant funds from the Francis Family Foundation.
One of Joe's many objectives is to instruct individuals in creating functional and creative clay designs.
Huey Lee is a ceramic artist from South Korea who has dedicated his career to exploring the expressive possibilities of clay. After completing his training as a traditional Korean ceramic artisan, Lee honed his skills working at various pottery and ceramic studios. During this time, he had the privilege of studying under renowned ceramic artists such as TaeGon Kim, Inchin Lee,
and the late Gil-bae Kim, who imparted their knowledge of technique, form, and aesthetics.
In pursuit of further artistic growth and new experiences, Lee relocated to Athens, Georgia, where he received a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Georgia. Here, he has continued to refine his craft and expand his artistic vision through experimentation with form, texture, and glaze. Lee's work is characterized by a deep sensitivity to the emotional and psychological resonance of form and material and a commitment to exploring the expressive potential of clay as a medium.
Lee's work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and venues both nationally and internationally. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative approach to form and his ability to evoke complex emotions through his work. In addition to his creative pursuits, Lee is also an experienced and dedicated educator, passionate about sharing his knowledge and skills with the next generation of ceramic artists. Through his teaching, he strives to instill in his students a sense of curiosity, wonder, and reverence for the expressive potential of clay.
Jacqueline Kaplan was born and raised in Kansas City. She is a self and locally taught ceramic artist who recently graduated with her associate degree and esthetics license from Johnson County Community College. She has been working with clay for six years and began selling her work two years ago. Jacqueline has been a monitor for the Guild for about a year but recently began teaching and really enjoys getting to know people through her private lessons. She is involved in many local pop-up events and was recently recognized as Mug of the Month at Belger Arts. Jacqueline is primarily a wheel-thrower but also enjoys the endless possibilities of handbuilding and sculpture. She enjoys connecting with people, whether that be through her makeup artistry, teaching pottery classes, or volunteering at the KCCG. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her boyfriend and their cat and finding fun places to eat!
Kelly Lynn Daniels is a California native, Kelly moved to New Bedford, MA where she received her MFA in Ceramics from UMass, Dartmouth. In 2016, following graduation, she accepted the Red Star Residency in Ceramics at Belger Crane Yard Studios in Kansas City, MO. In 2018 her residency was completed and Kelly decided to stay and put down roots in the wonderfully supportive art community. Kelly divides her time between her home studio, KC Clay Guild, and Belger Crane Yard Studios. She draws inspiration from flora and fauna, memory, and the passage of time. When she isn’t making pottery, she spends time foraging for mushrooms, working in her garden and playing with her dog and three cats.
Kelsie Herron came to KC Clay Guild as a resident artist in fall of 2017 after receiving her BFA from University of Missouri. During the second year of her residency she joined the Board of Directors and have worked as Workshops Chair and currently as Publicity Chair. She enjoys engaging with the KCCG community through social media, promoting our events, building relationships with people in the arts community, and highlighting the work of our members.
She have worked as the Saturday Kid’s Class instructor since 2018 and when she is not teaching, firing the community soda kiln, or doing board member activities, she works as a barista at The Roasterie.
In her spare time she enjoys gardening, practicing martial arts, and trying(!) to have a more regular studio practice of her own.
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Louis Reilly is a studio potter and Studio Director of KC Clay Guild. His studio practice focuses on soda fired functional pottery. Louis has taught ceramics at art centers and universities for 15 years. He holds a MFA from Utah State University and a BFA from University of Missouri-Columbia. Louis lives with his wife, son and dog in Lee's Summit, MO.
Check out his website and Instagram.
Mike Cerv
As an alumni of the Kansas City Art Institute in 2017 and MFA graduate from Louisiana State University in 2021, Mike Cerv maintains an educational and artistic practice both in studio and online. Alongside this, Cerv produces templates and tools to assist ceramic artists of all experience levels.
Check out his website.
Naomi Peterson creates cute objects that invite consideration beyond the inanimate. She mixes bright colors and soft patterns with hard materials to investigate the emotive potential of functional things. Using her traditional ceramic background as a lens to view material and process, she builds forms layer by layer, often integrating analog and digital methods. Naomi received her MFA in ceramics from the University of North Texas (2021) and her BFA in ceramics at the University of Wyoming (2017). She has been an artist-in-residence at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and participated in the annual, short-term, Neltje artist-in-residence program in 2018. With over 6 years of teaching experience, Naomi has taught at various institutions such as the Glassell School of Art and Art League Houston as well as teaching workshops online and in person. Naomi was selected as a 2024 Emerging Artist by Ceramics Monthly and is currently an artist-in-residence at KC Clay Guild.
https://www.instagram.com/n.ceramic (@n.ceramic)
https://www.naomipeterson.com/
Sam Sequeira graduated from The University of North Texas with a BFA in Ceramics in May 2024. They have been working with clay since 2018, and have taught workshops at a craft studio in Denton, as well as assisted slip-cast artist Brooks Oliver in his studio practice. Their works focus on gender expression, queer fashion, and their own transition. They primarily use thrown and altered vessels to portray these topics in an approachable way.
https://www.instagram.com/the_clay_gay/
