Since discovering wheel throwing at Cabrillo College in 1994, ceramic artist Whitney Smith has built a full-time practice around making pottery in her Vallejo studio. Her work brings a painter’s eye to clay, with each piece receiving a distinctive, colorful surface shaped by hand rather than repeated from a fixed pattern. The result is functional pottery made to bring beauty into everyday life.
Beaumont PotteryFamily-owned Beaumont Pottery has been hand making pottery in Phoenix, Maryland, since 1971, with founder Jerry Beaumont bringing more than 60 years of experience to the wheel. The working studio uses locally extracted Maryland clay and hand-formulated glazes, preserving a deliberately primitive process in which each piece carries its own slight variations. Its roots include Jerry’s early specialty in authentic reproduction salt-glazed stoneware, while today the studio and gallery offer handmade ceramics intended for everyday use.PHOENIX, MD
Neighborhood PottersIn Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood, Sandi Pierantozzi and Neil Patterson make hand-crafted functional pottery designed for everyday rituals, with Neil’s altered wheel-thrown forms and Sandi’s textured, hand-built work giving the studio its distinctive character. Neighborhood Potters also teaches ceramics, hosts public events and showcases local makers, extending its role from working studio to community gathering place. The pair recycle every scrap of clay, use no lead or toxic glaze ingredients, and heat their recycled 1851 studio with residual kiln warmth in winter.PHILADELPHIA, PA
The KilnThe Kiln is a Brecksville pottery studio where visitors of all ages make and fire their own work through wheel-throwing classes, paint-your-own pottery, and hands-on workshops. Alongside its family-friendly activities, the studio gives experienced ceramic artists open-studio space and offers low-fire firing services for work made elsewhere. Its custom light-up ceramic cutouts and seasonal clay camps add a distinctly local, creative twist.BRECKSVILLE, OH