COMMUNITY MEMBER PROFILE - Yonkers Pottery Studio - Serving Westchester County & New York City Neighborhoods in the Bronx including Riverdale & Morris Park & Northern Manhattan Neighborhoods of Inwood & Washington Heights

This is the first in a new series in which we will periodically profile our pottery studio community members. 

It seemed obvious that Meghan Sutton should be our first community member feature. For over a year and a half she has been our resident artist doing a work-trade. Her strong work ethic, friendly presence, and supportive attitude are integral to the smooth running of our robust and homey ceramics studio. Her artistic vision and skill and indefatigable willingness to experiment and push her own work forward serve as excellent example and inspiration for all of us. When she leaves (not imminent), we will be hard pressed to find a resident tech as good a fit for our community as she is. So without further ado, let’s get on with the interview!

For those who don’t know you, share a little about yourself.

 In addition to being the studio tech at Yonkers Pottery, I’m also a working potter, building up my own business. I’m married to my husband Jesse for just over a year and together we have a Labrador dog named Mose. I grew up in rural PA and currently live in Pelham, NY.

What brought you to ceramics making?

I studied painting in college, and took a ceramics class as an elective. I fell in love with the craft and immersed myself in the field after I graduated by doing a work exchange job in the ceramics department at GoggleWorks Center for The Arts. There, I not only was able to continue learning how to throw clay, but I also started learning the ropes running a ceramics studio. I still feel very fortunate for my time there. I was just starting out and didn’t know much, but the studio manager was very encouraging and patient with me!

What brought you to Yonkers Pottery?

After living in California and taking some time away from clay, my husband and I moved back to the east coast in 2017 and got married. I promised myself I would get back into clay when we moved to New York and I found Yonkers Pottery while looking for a community studio to throw at. Coincidentally, Cori was also looking for a resident tech for the studio, so we were really able to help each other out.

How has your time at the studio changed or impacted you and your work? What’s been your experience here? And what’s your favorite thing about working with clay?!

Working in a community studio has always benefited my work. It’s inspiring working side by side other potters and it constantly forces me to push the boundaries. That’s my favorite thing about pottery making, it keeps you on your toes like that. It’s very humbling. We are always students!

Just being the studio tech here has given me the confidence, that I did not have before, in running the day to day operations of a pottery studio. Of course there is still so much to learn, but I’m at a much better place than when I first started. 

I’m grateful to have found this small community studio in Yonkers. My experience here has been positive, the environment warm and inviting. We help each other expand our pottery making knowledge and improve our work. It feels like a supportive clay family.

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Meghan's pottery is available for sale in person at our studio and via her online shop .