Ann Marie Cooper
Clay is pivotal in my life. In 2009, I began working at Good Earth Pottery gallery in Bellingham, Washington, hired for my art sales and marketing experience. It didn't take long for the work to ignite my longtime back-burner dream of making pottery. I became a potter, a teacher of ceramics to children and adults, an active member of the Washington Clay Arts Association, Co-Founder of Whatcom Artists of Clay & Kiln (WACK), and eventually, owner of Good Earth Pottery. Then, at the end of 2021, I became manager of Cohorts.Art. All signs point to clay.
Part of what drew me to the Cohorts.Art program is the community-building aspect. My journey into clay was community driven; the support, encouragement, and camaraderie I discovered enriched my life unbelievably. It still does and I want to share and help facilitate that experience for as many folks as I can.
As a gallerist, I take great pleasure in discovering and lifting up new artists, as well as watching familiar artists evolve. During the first year of Clay Cohorts, as a friend of Simon’s and one of his inaugural students, I could see something special was happening, so I offered to host a celebratory exhibition in my gallery at the end of the year, and every year thereafter.
When planning for the second year began and Simon asked me to join him as manager of Cohorts.Art, I gladly jumped on board. His enthusiasm for Cohorts and vision for growth are infectious and inspiring to see in action. We make a great team, working with your future in mind. The mentors we've gathered are all wonderful people who truly care about your progress. The visible artistic growth, the professional growth, the community growth for our students (and us!) are really happening and so exciting. I hope you'll join us on the adventure!