Online Registration

Course Listing - by Instructor

Name Biography
Melanie Atherton From a young age, I knew that I wanted to be an artist. However, it wasn’t until recently I knew what that meant for me. Born and raised on the south coast of Massachusetts, I received my BFA in Jewelry & Metals (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth) after bouncing around for quite a bit. In the years prior to receiving my BFA, I dabbled in many mediums from industrial design to painting. I also received my MFA in Visual Arts. (Vermont College of Fine Arts)

If you would have told me ten years ago that I would become a professional metalsmith, I may have laughed. Both of my parents were metalsmiths having originally met while in school together. Unfortunately, neither are practicing. That’s why it is sort of bizarre that I have landed here. However, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My education as well as my personal experiences have undoubtedly led me to where I am today, and I can’t wait to see where this journey will take me. I look forward to meeting you and helping you on your creative journey as well!
John Barrett Learn more about John and his work here: Bladeandwheel.com
Rachel Benson
Alondra Biberos
Clay Studio Faculty
Gina Cranford
Tiffany DeFreitas
Rachel Dubicki
Paul Dumanoski Paul Dumanoski studied photography at the Worcester Center for Crafts under Peter Faulkner. The subject for his work is the environment, both natural and man-made. He has exhibited his photographs in juried shows throughout the region and recently won an award in Preservation Worcester's Architectural Images VI.
Louis Garcia
Jon Glabus
Peter Grigg Peter Grigg

Education

  • PHD. Physiology. State University of NY Syracuse
  • MS. Syracuse University
  • BS. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

    Past work

  • Professor Emeritus U Mass Medical School

    Artist Statement

  • Even though I am a technician, I hope to enlighten my students by showing them the skills of enameling, using bold colors and durable product. I appreciate the many challenges that come with enameling.
  • Polly Marie Hansel www.pollyachiart.com
    Nicholas Hesson Nicholas Hesson is an art educator, jeweler, enamelist, and CAD designer. His work utilizes a combination of digital and hand fabrication processes inspired by the human form and iconography associated with memento mori, beauty, and the human body.
    After receiving his Associate in Fine Arts from Bucks County Community College he worked there as a 3D Arts Lab Technician maintaining the day-to-day operations of the studio. He simultaneously pursued his Bachelors in Fine Arts as he commuted to Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University where he assisted instructors as a teaching assistant as well as took classes. He received his BFA in Metals/Jewelry/CAD/CAM from Tyler in 2020. In the Spring of 2023, he graduated with his MFA in Metal Design from East Carolina University where he worked as a graduate teaching assistant. He now resides in the New England area where he works as a Silversmith for Tiffany & Co.
    Casey Hickey
    Patti Kelly
    Jeanne Kowal
    Holly Lauer
    Lori Mader Lori Mader

    Education

  • Artist in Residence, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, Maine July 2014
  • Beginning with a class at the University of South Carolina, Columbia in 1989, She continued her education in clay at UMASS-Amherst and attended clay classes and workshops at the Worcester Center for Crafts.

    Achievements

  • She's been an instructor at the Worcester Center for Crafts since 2004
  • participated in juried arts festivals throughout southern New England, New York and Pennsylvania since 2000
  • She currently owns and operates Cedar Swamp Pottery in Wilbraham, MA.

    Artist Statement

  • I hand make my work from porcelain and stoneware clay. They are fired in a wood burning kiln in 14 to 18 hour firings. The glazes used are modern adaptations of ancient Asian recipes of celadon, shino, and tenmoku iron glazes, safe for use with food and beverages. It is a quietly contemplative, multi-stage process inspired by history, hard work, and the beauty of nature.

    Exhibitions

  • Multiple WCC faculty exhibitions including WCC Bowl and Cup Shows
  • Paradise City Arts Festival, Northhampton, MA May 2013, October 2013.

    Online Work

    Website
  • Caterina Maina
    Carly Manfre
    Tom O'Malley

    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

    Dahlia Popovits Dahlia Popovits has been weaving creative cloth for 40 years. She designs and hand-weaves all the garments and accessories in her collection. The tactile aspect of the work also draws her in, as she encourages a visitor to feel the softness of a bamboo jacket. Bamboo has become a popular material for environmentally-conscious clothing designers because of its sustainability. “It’s an incredibly comfortable fiber that wicks away moisture and is comfortable year round.” Inspired by fashion, color, texture and nature, her clothing is comfortable, stylish and distinctive, with fans who know it when they see it on other women. “When somebody wears a Dahlia garment to a meeting or function and another woman says, ‘Oh, you’re wearing a Dahlia,’ it’s recognized, and that to me feels great.”
    Jamie Rhode
    Rick Rocha
    Lois Rossiter
    Tomo Sakai
    Tomo graduated from Tama Art University in Tokyo, Japan, with a specialization in glass, and went on study glass engraving and coldworking in the Czech Republic. She was an artist-in-residence at Worcester Center for Crafts from 2012-2014, and now has her own studio in Worcester. She teaches regularly at the Worcester Center for Crafts, the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and the Corning Museum of Glass.

    Instagram: @cruzesakai 

    Education

  • 2012-2014 Artist-in-Residence, Worcester Center for Crafts
  • 2004
  • SUPSS Kamenicky Senov, Czech Republic
  • 2003-2004 VOSS Novy Bor, Czech Republic
  • 2002 Dominik Biman School, Kamenicky Senov, Czech Republic
  • 1998-2002 BFA in glass, Tama Art University, Tokyo, Japan

    Artist Statement

    "My journey as an artist has been informed by my experience growing up in Japan - the nexus of a profound, traditional past in co-existence and interaction with an energetic, hyper-modern future. My choice of glass as a medium reflects my experience: it is both rooted in traditional techniques while at the same time projecting a modern materiality. I want to capture this reality in my work, balancing the old and the new, honoring tradition and innovation, exploring past and future."

    Exhibitions

  • The Krikorian Gallery, Worcester MA/Eight Elements - 2014
  • The Krikorian Gallery, Worcester MA/Opposing Directions - 2013
  • Imago Gallery, Warren RI/December Invitational Show - 2013
  • Cafe Siesta, Gifu, Japan/Bar Akadama - 2008
  • Gallery Tamamiseum, Nagoya, Japan/Arts & Crafts - 2007
  • Decin Museum, Czech Republic/Senovske Sklo Plne Zivota - 2005
  • Kamenicky Senov Museum, Czech Republic/The exhibition of 4th International Symposium of Engraved Glass - 2005
  • Koganezaki Crystal Park, Nishi Izu, Japan/Vessels - Exhibition of Contemporary Glass - 2003
  • Spiral Garden, Aoyama, Japan/Department of Ceramic, Glass and Metal Graduation Works Exhibition - 2002


  • Claudia Sarver
    Jana Silver
    Maya Stern
    Joshua Swalec Education and Experience

  • Graduate of Worcester Vocational Technical High School: study of all welding processes, mechanical drawing, and certified in stick metal arc welding of mild steel in all positions 1998
  • Blacksmithing course: Touchstone School of Crafts 1998
  • Jewelery making I and II: Worcester Center for Crafts 1999-2000
  • 18 years experience in blacksmithing, welding, metal fabrication, landscape design and construction.
  • Active member of the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America and New England Blacksmiths

    Awards and Achievements

  • Awarded Massachusetts Cultural Coalition grant for public art in partnership with the Higgins Armory Museum.
  • Award winning: Fitchburg Forge-In (regional blacksmithing competition), Intermediate division champion 2000
  • Professional division champion 2008, and 1st Place- Decorative Trellis Panel 2009.

    Artist Statement

    I strive to make art which is functional, and which leaves people wondering how it was made. As a blacksmith, I integrate ancient and modern technologies to produce effective and beautiful tools and products.
    I value making a tool to make a tool to make a part to a finished piece rather than buying an inferior part at the store.

    Exhibitions
  • The Sprinkler Factory and Expanding Continuum September 2012

    Website
    Blog
    Facebook Page
  • Jennifer Swan Jen Swan is a teaching artist and mural painter who shares her love of art with the diverse community of Worcester and its surrounding cities and towns. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, she currently teaches classes for the Worcester Art Museum, Listening Wellness Center, The Overlook, LACI Homeschoolers and in many public and private schools as a Cultural Partner. Making connections between art and nature has also inspired collaborations with the Audubon and EcoTarium. Her recent paintings explore art and ecology as she portrays the web of interrelationships in our environment. Through plein air landscapes, botanical and wildlife studies, she wishes to creatively propose new possibilities for coexistence, sustainability and healing.
    Victoria Taft
    Ava Travers
    Rachel Tufts
    Beth Woodruff