Artist Bio

Julian De La Garza was born in New York, and raised in Rhode Island. He received his BA in Jewelry/Metals from Rhode Island College and then went on to work in the industry. During this period he was a diamond setter for Tiffany & Co. and then a model maker for C & J Jewelry working on high-end jewelry brands such as David Yurman, Haverhill Leech, and Tiffany & Co. All while also continuing his personal studio practice and jewelry business.

Realizing he had always wanted to teach at the college level, he left the stagnancy of the industry and decided to go back to school to obtain his MFA at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in Artisanry with a focus on Jewelry/Metals. During his stay at the university he has received high awards for his jewelry design skills through juried competitions and has also had opportunities to teach as well as assist advanced classes.

Check our Julian's website here and his Instagram page here!

Maya Machin grew up on a homestead in Vermont where the emphasis was on using and making things by hand. Maya began her pottery endeavors at Romulus Craft where she did a mini-apprenticeship for her senior project in high school, and was completely hooked. She attended Hampshire College and concentrated on early childhood education and ceramics. In 2003, she began a three-year apprenticeship with Mark Shapiro in Worthington, MA. She has also studied under and/or assisted David Stuempfle, Michael Kline, Kim Ellington, Naomi Dalglish, and Michael Hunt. She shows regularly in juried craft shows and galleries in the area. Maya has always loved teaching and is adept at meeting every student where they are and helping them increase their skill in a way that works for them.

Tom O'Malley began studying ceramics in high school and received his BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1985. He received his MFA, with honors, from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1994. O'Malley has exhibited nationally and internationally, winning numerous awards. He received an LCC Grant in 1998 and his pottery was the recipient of the People's Choice Award at the 2002 Strictly Functional Pottery National.

His work has appeared in a number of publications, including Lark Books 500 Tiles, and is slated to appear in the forthcoming publication 21st Century Ceramics. He has taught at RISD, Rhode Island College, Becker College, Worcester State University and the Worcester Center for Crafts, and has presented a variety of workshops and lectures throughout New England. He has been a board member of The Studio Potter since 2005 and currently is the Studio Liaison and Program Director of the Worcester Center for Crafts.

View Tom's Latest Work and Profile: Tom O'Malley Ceramics