“Some of my best teachers have been full-time studio artists. Linda Christianson, Michael Simon, and Clary Illian, all stepped into academia briefly to do sabbatical replacements for my professors. Their real-world experience, a lifelong love of material, coupled with articulate teaching skills, made working with them life-changing. The Cohorts.Art program was created with professional artists as mentors, these are people who I wish I could have had as teachers. Having one of these wonderful folks on your side for a year and a small group of committed colleagues along with you is a game changer!“
-Simon Levin

Illustration of a blacksmithing scene with a hammer and anvil on a background of orange flames.
Stylized brown pitcher surrounded by flame-like shapes.

Application for 2026 will open in Summer of 2025

The Folks of Cohorts

  • A woman with short brown hair and blue eyes smiling, wearing a gray sweater and a chain necklace, standing against a plain white wall.

    Jenn Wells (she/her)

    Individual Meetings: 2nd & 4th Tuesday or Saturday, EST from 9am - 1pm (later time availability may be requested). Group Meeting: Last Sunday of the month, (EST 9am - 1pm)

    Workshop Agenda: A week in my home studio near Certaldo, Italy. We will spend the time exploring enameling and jewelry fabrication techniques. I will provide demonstrations and look forward to everyone bringing a “problem” piece with them that we can brainstorm together on. In the evenings we’ll drink wine and eat all the pasta.

    My studio is ground floor, however, participants should be comfortable with stairs and uneven pavement.

  • A woman with long curly brown hair wearing glasses, resting her chin on her hand, in a room with shelves holding various items and art supplies.

    Birdie Boone (she/her)

    Individual Meetings, 2nd & 4th Tuesdays or Thursdays; Group Meeting, Last Sundays; In-Person Workshop Dates TBD (April/May).

    Workshop Agenda: A fun, week-long creative problem-solving and glaze testing workshop at my studio in Meadowview, Virginia.

    Studio ADA accessibility limited by a few stairs.

  • A woman smiling, wearing a green knit hat and a red jacket, with short curly hair and earrings, indoors against a plain background.

    Carole Epp (she/her)

    Individual Meetings, 2nd & 4th Tuesdays or Thursdays; Group Meeting, Last Sundays; In-Person Workshop Dates TBD (May/June/).

    Workshop Agenda: A fun yet intensive week-long creative problem-solving workshop at a local ceramic studio in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. We will also be touring artists’ studios, meeting with gallery staff and touring ceramics in the provincial collections, including Picasso ceramics at The Remai Art Gallery, and works in the permanent collection at the Mackenzie Art Gallery which include pieces from artists made during the funk movement as there is a direct connection between Saskatchewan ceramics and the California Funk movement.

    Studio ADA accessibility unknown in each situation but I will address any issues prior to participants arriving.

  • A woman with glasses and short curly hair wearing a red shirt and blue jeans standing in a storage room with shelves filled with jars, containers, and artwork, smiling at the camera.

    Isabella Fazzo (she/her)

    Individual meetings to be decided in agreement with the student, group meetings from Friday to Sunday. In-Person Workshop Dates TBD (January/August).

    Workshop agenda: A week in Fazzo, Italy with technical and artistic experiments of various kinds and adaptable to the interests of the group.

    Studio ADA accessibility limited by a few stairs

    ***

    Incontri individuali da concordare con lo studente, incontri di gruppo dal venerdì alla domenica.

    Seminario Annuale: Classe di una settimana in presenza in Italia con sperimentazioni tecniche e artistiche di vario genere e adattabili agli interessi del gruppo.

  • A smiling woman with blonde hair, wearing a gray scarf and dark top, sitting in a pottery studio holding a ceramic mug.

    Martha Grover (she/her)

    Individual Meetings: 1st and 3rd Mondays or Fridays; Group Meetings, Last Sunday; In-Person Workshop in June.

    Workshop Agenda: Hands on Making retreat at my studio in Maine. Demos, critiques, ideation and group bonding in my well-equipped space, with delicious food and great conversation.

    Studio is ADA accessible

  • A close-up selfie of a man wearing a white cap, a light blue shirt, and a purple zip-up hoodie, outdoors with blurred greenery in the background.

    Kenyon Hansen (he/him)

    Individual Meetings, 1st & 3rd Wednesdays or Fridays; Group Meetings, Last Sunday; In-Person Workshop Dates TBD.

    Workshop Agenda: Hands on making and a soda firing at my home studio in Dollar Bay, Michigan.

    Studio ADA accessibility limited, willing to make adjustments.

  • A man working on a stone sculpture in a workshop surrounded by various tools and materials.

    Sam Harvey (he/him)

    Individual Meetings:1st & 3rd Mondays, with the exception of January 1st, in which case the first meeting will be on Tuesday, January 2nd. Group Meetings, last Sundays; In-Person Workshop Dates TBD.

    Workshop Agenda: Content will be determined by the needs of the cohorts, as we establish each persons' interests and desires. That being said, I would like to focus a few of our discussions on issues surrounding artists' roles in their communities, locally and societally.

    Studio can be made ADA accessible

  • A man with glasses and a beard shaping a tall ceramic vase on a pottery wheel.

    Simon Levin (he/him)

    Individual Meetings, 2nd & 4th Wednesdays or Fridays; Group Meetings, Last Sundays; In-Person Workshop Dates TBD.

    Workshop Agenda: Wood-firing in my train kiln in Pawnee, Illinois.

    Studio ADA accessibility limited, willing to make adjustments.

  • A woman with short brown hair, wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, gray pants, and a red necklace, standing in a rustic doorway with her arms crossed and smiling.

    Sandy Lockwood (she/her)

    Individual Meetings, 1st & 3rd Thursdays; Group Meetings, Last Sundays.

    Workshop Agenda: My in-person workshop Workshop Dates TBD (possibly late August / early September 2025). It may be a wood-firing workshop, or a making workshop, and/or a combination, at my studio in Balmoral Village, Australia.

    Studio ADA accessible

  • Woman with glasses in a pottery studio holding a large unglazed clay pot.

    Liz Lurie (she/her)

    Individual Meetings 1st & 3rd Wednesdays; Group Meetings, Last Sundays; In-Person Workshop during the last full week of July.

    Workshop Agenda: The content will be determined by the needs of the cohort as I get to know the group. It may be a firing workshop (gas, electric or wood), or a making workshop, and/or a combination, at my studio in Cazenovia, New York.

    Studio ADA accessible

  • A person with short brown hair and glasses, smiling, wearing a red T-shirt with an orange flame design, standing in front of colorful artwork and a yellow wall.

    Lisa Orr (she/her)

    Individual Meetings, 2nd & 4th Wednesdays or Fridays; Group Meetings, Last Sundays; In-Person Workshop Dates TBD.

    Workshop Agenda: Making, glazing, rocket kiln firing in her Massachusetts studio.

    Studio ADA acessible.

  • A woman in a pink dress smiling and sitting in a room decorated with colorful artwork and toys.

    Punch Semachai (she/her)

    Individual Meetings, 2nd & 4th Wednesdays or Thursdays; Group Meeting, Last Sundays; In-Person Workshop Dates TBD (Aug/Sep).

    Workshop Agenda: A fun, week-long creative/ narrative sculptural work and surface decoration workshop at my university's studio in Bangkok, Thailand.

    Studio ADA accessibility limited by a few stairs. (Might be a little bit more limited for sightseeing around the area.)

  • A woman with short gray hair, wearing glasses and a purple shirt, smiling in an art studio with pottery and artwork in the background.

    Mary Barringer (she/her)

    Word Up with Mary! A special opportunity for past and present Cohorts students to schedule time with a professional writer for review of written projects.

  • A woman with curly red hair smiling, wearing a black T-shirt with a fire graphic and gold earrings, against a red textured wall.

    AnnMarie Cooper (she/her)

    AnnMarie is the Cohorts.Art Manager. She handles the administrative side of things and guides you through the Instagram guest hosting experience.