Meet the Team
Our talented staff do everything from working retail, instructing students, loading the kiln, and cleaning the studio. Keep reading to learn more about our essential community members.
Jude Mortensen Arreola
Co-Owner, Programs Director (they/them)
My journey in 3D arts, with a focus in ceramics and plaster, has spanned 10 years and four pottery studios across California and Washington. This experience, coupled with my upbringing in a Latinx household, has deeply informed my artistic practice. The intersection of comfort and discomfort is a recurring theme in my work, reflecting the complexities of cultural identity and the nuanced ways in which these forces shape our lives.
Through my art, I invite viewers and students alike to explore the spaces where comfort and discomfort meet, encouraging them to sit in that and understand why that discomfort exists.
Liz Leong
Co-Owner, Director of Operations (she/her)
Liz is living her dream of working in an artistic space and spending time on creative projects. She loves illustrations and painting but ceramics captured her heart with its slow and tactile process. Liz focuses on hand building and she’s currently playing with textures, patterns and all things round. In the studio, her goal is to maintain a clean and welcoming space, outside of the studio you can find her skating, cooking tasty meals or taking walks around town.
Sam Schauer
Co-Owner, Gallery Director (she/her)
Sam is a Washington native who has made Seattle her home since early 2022. Having recently finished a master's degree in mechanical engineering, she made the career shift to ceramics to focus more on mental health and the things that bring her joy. She has dipped her toes into many artistic hobbies over the years, but ceramics has always held a special spot as it utilizes her engineering design interests with a creative twist. Sam is in charge of gallery shows and operations, and can be found at the front desk 3 days a week! Outside of the studio, she can be found bullet journaling, binge-watching shows, or hanging with her cat, Hank.
Alison Kan Grevstad
Instructor (she/her)
Alison is an active member of the Seattle arts community as a practicing ceramic and visual artist. She has shown her work in gallery shows in Seattle and Arizona. Deeply influenced by nature, her art and design ethic give voice to underrepresented populations with a focus on cultural and environmental awareness.
Derek Kramer
Instructor (he/him)
My name is Derek Kramer and I grew up most of my life in small town Texas but have been living in Seattle for the past 2 and a half years. I fell in love with ceramics through art classes in Junior high and was fortunate enough to learn wheel throwing while in college. I have a professional background in finance and work in strategy/operations for a mental healthcare company. Outside of work I enjoy skiing, playing sports with friends, and the occasional friendly poker/boardgame night.
Tommy Schaefer
Instructor, Studio Assistant (they/them)
Tommy is a musician, dancer, and artist who is thrilled to be in the Seattle ceramics world after years of working in the ceramics lab at Ohio State University. They love novelty and functionality in ceramics, and love converting ideas from all other facets of life into ceramics projects. Tori’s ceramic art is heavily influenced by their experience working on farms, in communes, and living in forests around the world. They want their ceramics to be usable and delightful. Outside of work, they love board games, rock climbing, drinking tea, and trying to learn new musical instruments.
Jem Tong
Instructor/Studio Assistant (they/them)
Hi! My name is Jem Tong. Pottery is my home medium but I enjoy dabbling in just about everything else. My personal work is mainly in clay instruments and moving, dynamic carvings. I have taught since 2022 in CA and WA, and been touching clay since 2014: I love sharing the grounding nature of shaping things with your own hands and meeting so many cool people that pottery attracts.
