I am honored and excited to be part of the mentor list for the 2025 Cohorts year.  The format Cohorts uses is unlike any learning experience that was available to me as I went through my more traditional academic ceramic education, and I am excited for the possibilities it brings. I love the idea that participants are able to maintain their home studio practice, without having to relocate away from their family and support systems, while receiving continued feedback, community, and critique throughout the year.  

As a mentor, I look forward to bringing my extensive clay knowledge to you.  I have taught in community studios, academia, and many workshops at universities and art centers around the country.  I wheel throw and hand-build my own work, and have skills firing in both electric and gas kilns.  I maintain my own daily studio practice while also thriving on the discourse that teaching in many varied outlets brings to my own thoughts about clay.  The Cohorts format will allow me to focus my knowledge to fit your growth needs throughout the year.

I look forward to being part of a sustained conversation about your work, studio practice, and ideas over the course of a year in a one-on-one setting.  I am invested in your success in this program.  I will help you to unpack the ideas behind why you make what you make and how to push it forward to the next level.  The small cohort of other hungry learners will also be influential to your growth and build another level of support for you in this year and I am eager to facilitate your group’s bonding.  I can’t wait to see the relationships that will grow through our time together through regular monthly meetings and at our in-person workshop.  

Located in the mountains of western Maine, my studio will be the perfect setting for our week-long group workshop.  Abundant opportunities for outdoor activities and a fully equipped clay studio will provide the setting to tailor your workshop to whatever our cohort would like to explore.  I foresee our time together filled with great conversation around delicious food, individually focused demos, and group bonding. 

Martha Grover is a full-time studio potter with over 20 years of experience in the field.  She received her undergraduate degree in Architecture from Bennington College and her MFA in Ceramics from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.  After graduate school, she was a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation, Red Lodge Clay Center, and Northern Clay Center.  She has a strong social media following, exhibits nationally, and has taught over 100 ceramic workshops around the world.  She owns and manages a community studio in Maine with her husband, who is also a potter and kiln tech, while maintaining her studio practice.