Our Artist-Instructors

Clarice Allgood is a functional potter and teaching artist based in Minneapolis, MN. An unconventional ceramic history of workshops, open studios and unofficial residencies led Allgood to Minnesota in 2018. In 2019, she graduated from the advanced certificate program MN NICE and as of 2020 she is a Fogelberg Studio Fellow at Northern Clay Center. She’s particularly fond of making tools. Some are tools of conviviality, some support activities of engaged solitude such as knitting, gardening, reading and cooking.

Scott Lloyd Anderson is a full-time, nationally known, oil landscape painter and teacher. His previous career as a magazine art director greatly informs his approach to picture-making. His work is included in the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society and many private and corporate patrons. He’s won awards across the country, including San Luis Obispo, San Antonio, Colorado, Maryland and Minnesota, and he’s painted in China, Italy, England, Mexico, and Canada.

Brad Benn came to pottery after earning degrees in engineering, BSEE and BSIE, from Washington University in St. Louis, working in industry, and also making harpsichords. He served as Assistant Director and managed the pottery studio at Edina Art Center.

Traudi Bestler trained at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, The Weaving School and Sievers School of Fiber Arts. She has been a teacher of weaving, dyeing and fiber arts for more than 20 years.

Sarah Bober studied fine arts at St. Olaf College. She began making jewelry in 2007 and has been selling her work at art shows and teaching classes ever since, specializing in metal art clay.

Genie Castro studied under painter Hananiah Harari at the famed Art Students League in New York. Her work is admired for its exuberance, assured use of color and bold form. Her passion for creating is matched by her passion for helping students find their own voice through making art.

Krissy Catt has been building her career in clay, with a focus on handbuilding, for more than two decades, starting with a B.F.A. from the University of Minnesota. Beside her business, Catt Ceramics, Krissy works in the Edina Schools and with senior adults. Her whimsical figures (some more than five feet tall) are on display in the Art Resources Galleries in International Market Square and at the Galleria. Her teaching style is marked by a depth of patience and a sense of whimsy and fun!

Fall 2017 Spotlight / Spring 2013 Spotlight

Alex Chinn grew up in rural Massachusetts in an old farmhouse with his mother, a painter. He was exposed to many forms of art, including clay, from early childhood. Clay became his primary artistic outlet while studying with Ron Gallas at Macalester College. In 1998 Alex formed his studio, Ceramic Chinn. Alex makes sculptures, tiles and functional pottery, inspired by nature and daily household use.

Michele Combs is a plein air, impressionistic painter who studied classical realism at the Minnesota River School of Fine Art and with nationally recognized artists from throughout the U.S. Now a full-time visual artist, after a career in occupational therapy, Michele has been painting since 1995 and teaching since 2005.

Website

Kathy Creger has a passion for botanicals that began with a class at the Minnesota School of Botanical Art, studying with Marilyn Garber. Kathy’s orchid illustrations appear in several international publications, including “Orchids of Tropical America, an introduction and Guide.” Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden Florilegium.

Leslie Granbeck is a feltmaker and instructor in Minneapolis. Leslie loves sharing her knowledge of fibers and their magical transformation into felt, in classes full of color and creativity. Her students also receive a free workout, as feltmaking is a physical art. When not teaching, Leslie can be found in her home studio working on new fiber projects.

Sonja Hutchinson is a Signature Member and past President of the Minnesota Watercolor Society and has been painting in watercolor since 2001. She has studied with many established watercolor artists and has frequently exhibited in juried shows and received honors for her work. Her artwork employs both traditional and non-traditional watercolor techniques. To her, the watercolor medium is simultaneously challenging and enchanting, where spontaneity and intention collide.

Lakeshore Weekly News article

Cynthia Kath, a pastel artist with a B.A. in fine art, is currently working on her Master of Liberal Studies at the University of Minnesota in fine art, architecture and horticulture. She has also studied at Parsons School of Design in Paris, as well as privately with renowned oil and pastel artists. Cynthia teaches at numerous venues, exhibits her work locally and internationally, and is very involved with The Village Gallery in Lahaina, Hawaii.

Website  |  Summer 2013 Spotlight

Bill has been professionally making fine jewelry since the mid 1970’s in self-employed, retail and manufacturing settings. He has been teaching classes since 1993 at colleges, art schools, small groups and one on one private lessons. Bill is a Master Jeweler with specialties in stone setting and teaching, with extensive experience in setting all types and shapes of diamonds and gem stones.

Bonnie Lauber-Westover holds a bachelor’s degree in studio art from the University of Iowa and master’s degree in studio art from Illinois State University. She has taught in the Minneapolis area for 25 years at schools, colleges and art centers. She has exhibited widely, juried many art competitions and been a visiting artist at many art centers and schools. Bonnie enjoys seeing former students who now exhibit, maintain studios, and work as artists!

Laurie Lausen is an avid rug hooker whose fiber journey has taken many paths. She began designing and hooking rugs in the early 1970s while still in school and in the 1980s founded L.J. Fibers, a Minneapolis-based studio, gallery and retail shop now known as the Wooly Red Rug. Laurie has been listed in the Directory of Traditional American Crafts as one of “America’s Best” since 2009. Many national publications have featured her work and published articles she’s written.

Website  |  Blog  | Instagram @woolyredrug

Susan Lyman worked as an art director in major advertising agencies and has been involved in the Minnetonka Center for the Arts for more than 15 years. Her sculpture work is primarily figurative and often life-sized. As a teacher she enjoys nurturing her students to develop their stone sculpting skills. Susan holds a B.A. in studio art, with a minor in anthropology from the University of Minnesota.

Ernest Miller, Jr. is a ceramicist and sculptor with extensive experience teaching adults and children. With a B.A. in three-dimensional studio art from Eastern Illinois University, Ernest is an exhibitor and award winner in many juried shows nationally and his work is widely collected. Ernest has been featured on MN Original on TPT.

Spring 2014 Spotlight | “Adding an Edge” from Ceramic Arts Network magazine

Website | Insta @ernestmillerceramics

Jon Neuse has been teaching for the past 25 years in a variety of media, including abstract landscape, abstract figures, collage and monotype. Jon’s work has been described as playful and childlike with an emphasis on color. His work has evolved over the years, from his early large-scale monotypes, to his current exploration with 3-D accordian books.

Dorothy Odland holds both a B.F.A. and M.F.A. from the University of Minnesota. Through her career she has been an exhibitor, award winner, juror and gallery lecturer for 22 years at Walker Art Center. She is also a founding member and mentor with the Women’s Art Resources of Minnesota (the WARM). Her work is found in many corporate and private collections.

Lee Persell is the Ceramics Studio Manager for the Minnetonka Center for the Arts. She exhibits in shows and galleries throughout the Midwest, and has taught at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts since 1997.

Fall 2016 Spotlight

Dan Petrov is a classically trained artist and instructor with more than 25 years of experience, including studying and exhibiting in Europe, Canada and the U.S. He specializes in Renaissance and Flemish oil painting methods and modern forms of alla prima (wet-on-wet) painting. He believes, “painting reflects the world,” and helps bring new understanding to everyday objects and spaces.

Website  |  Insta @danpetrovart

Frank Picos is a Sculpture Studio Assistant, Artist-Instructor and student at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts with a focus on stone carving and bronze casting. He is a member of the Society of Minnesota Sculptors. As a part-time artist with a career in construction, Frank holds an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in construction technology from New York City Community College. Teaching the rare art of stone carving to children is something he looks forward to all year.

Jodi has been a full-time working artist and teacher in Minneapolis for over 25 years. She has taught printmaking, acrylic and encaustic painting as well as book arts classes/workshops at colleges and art centers regionally and nationally including Haystack School of Art. Her artwork has been shown nationally receiving numerous public art awards and is in many private and corporate collections including Mayor Jacob Frey’s collection. She is the recipient of the Minnesota State Arts Board Grant in 2021 and 2018. Jodi received a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts (BFA) from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, MCAD, where she instructed printmaking for over 9 years. She received a Hinge Arts Residency in 2020 through the Springboard for the Arts. She is a CORE teaching Artist for R&F Handmade Encaustic Paints. She teaches acrylic and encaustic painting workshops in her studio at Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art where she has been a co-op member for 16 years in North Loop area of Minneapolis.

Website

Danny Saathoff is a full-time artist and instructor who splits his time between sculptural art and jewelry design, believing that the two art forms directly influence one another. He has been featured on TPT’s MN Original and participated in the Walker Art Invitational jewelry artist showcase on multiple occasions. He teaches at Carleton College and is the vice president of the Minnesota Jewelry Arts Guild.

Winter 2017 Spotlight

Website  |  Insta @dannysaathoff