CURRICULUM VITAE
Skills
Articulate with strong interpersonal skills. Three decades of ceramics experience, including: teaching, kiln
building, firing, and the mixing and formulating of clay bodies and glazes. Experience with electric, gas, salt,
and wood firing. Have done extensive hand building, ceramic sculpture and work on the potters’ wheel.
Familiar with Windows based and Mac computers; Microsoft Office Suite, Google Docs, and a number of
databases specific to my current position with LADWP. I’m an avid learner and enjoy new challenges.
Experience
Studio artist 2010 - PRESENT
Creating ceramic sculpture, pots and other clayworks; and most recently, experimenting with mixed media
paintings on canvas in my home studio.
Throw Clay LA - Instructor, Handbuilding, OCTOBER 2021 - DECEMBER 2021
● Taught two classes. Designed and implemented handbuilding syllabus (studio had been primarily
wheel based until then).
● Instructed students in slab, pinch pot, coiling, and ceramic sculpture methods. Gave demonstrations
and supervised students to ensure safety during lab use.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Los Angeles, CA - Bilingual Customer Service
Representative, and Billing Specialist; MAY 1992- AUGUST 1995; JUNE 1997- AUGUST 2007; APRIL 2012- PRESENT
Self Employed, Kent, OH - Ceramic Sculptor, JUNE 2010- MARCH 2012
● Created ceramic artworks in my home studio.
● Chief designer of a wood kiln that I built with assistance from Brinsley Tyrrell and John Klassen; built
with fire brick salvaged from an old brickworks outside of Strasburg, OH .
● The wood kiln that we built transformed artist Brinsley Tyrrell’s property into a community hub and
has led to several exhibitions of work fired there (See: “Fired in Freedom” exhibits noted below.)
Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA - Visiting Artist. JANUARY 2010 - MAY 2010
● Loaded and unloaded kilns and helped with other studio tasks such as glaze formulation and mixing
as well as helping maintain overall studio cleanliness.
● Created a body of work including sculpture and the animal cup series.
● Assisted students in preparing and firing work for their senior shows.
University of North Carolina, Pembroke, NC - Ceramics Lecturer, OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2009
● Interim position; full time instructor, taught all levels from beginning to advanced.
● Taught both wheel and hand building classes.
● Advised students and guided seniors in developing their senior show work.
● Performed studio duties including loading, unloading and firing kilns; mixing clay and glazes; and
helping maintain shop cleanliness.
Kent State University, Kent, OH - Visiting Wood Firing Artist. SUMMER 2009
● Invited by Professor Kirk Mangus and to co-manage/run a firing of the Kent anagama-style wood kiln
with alumni artist Dong Jun Shin.
● Helped organize students in shifts and to oversee all aspects of the 5-7 day firing.
Kent State University, Kent, OH - Instructor of Record, Ceramics I, SPRING SEMESTER 2009
● Taught beginning ceramics (handbuilding) to college students either entering the ceramics program
or art education program.
● Managed class materials inventory. Mixed glazes, slips, and clay bodies; loaded, fired and unloaded kilns; and instructed students in raku firings. Supervised student firings.
● Gave regular demonstrations, worked alongside students, provided instruction on ceramic terminology, and integrated
materials terminology as part of the grading curriculum for my class.
● Held regular student critiques.
Kent State University, Kent, OH - Kiln Manager and Assistant to Department Head, Professor Kirk
Mangus; FALL SEMESTER 2008
● Coordinated firings for students and held weekly meetings; regularly checked that kilns were
unloaded and prepared for each person on the kiln schedule (ten kilns fired regularly).
● Filled in as substitute instructor when Professor Mangus was absent (Ceramics 2/wheel based).
● Helped with shop inventory of materials, general cleanliness of the studio, and mixing clays and
glazes as needed.
Kent State University, Kent, OH, Shop Custodian. FALL SEMESTER 2007
Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA- Visiting Artist, SPRING SEMESTER 2006
Invited by Cal Poly Pomona ceramics department as a guest artist. Gave student demonstrations and
assisted faculty as needed.
UC Santa Cruz- Guest Artist
Invited by instructor Nobi Nagasawa to demonstrate coil built ceramic sculpture techniques for her class.
Workshops attended and other professional activities
Kent State University: Val Cushing, Christa Assad, Josh DeWeese, Dean Adams, Dan Murphy, John Toki,
Janis Wunderlich, Candy Depew, Bill Brouillard.
Pasadena City College: Ian Currie, Paul Soldner, Marilyn Levine, Mary Frank.
NCECA: San Diego, CA, 2003; Baltimore, MD, 2005; Pittsburgh, PA, 2008; Philadelphia, PA, 2010.
Juried Exhibitions
2010 “Zoomorphism,” Myers Gallery at Muddy’s Studio, Santa Ana, CA.
2010 International Orton Cone Box Show, NCECA, Philadelphia, PA.
2008 International Orton Cone Box Show, NCECA, Pittsburgh, PA.
Solo Exhibitions
2009 “Hambre Del Alma[Soul Hunger],” MFA Show, Sculpture Gallery, Kent State University.
2008 “Elephants and Angels,” MFA Candidacy Review, Painting Gallery, Kent State University.
1995 Solo Exhibition, Zebra Gallery, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA. Selected for exhibit by Philip
Cornelius.
1995 Scholarship Exhibition, Main Gallery, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA.
Group Exhibitions
2014 “Fired in Freedom,” Downtown Gallery, Kent, OH.
2011 “Fired in Freedom,” Hiram College, Hiram, OH.
2011 Annual Cup Show, Downtown Gallery, Kent, OH.
2009 “Double Dip,” two person show with paintings from Billy Ritter, Sculpture Gallery, Kent State
University.
2009 “KSU MFA Clay,” group show, Asterisk Gallery, Cleveland, OH.
2009 Kent State MFA group exhibition, Main Gallery, Kent State University.
2008 Annual Small Works Show, Downtown Gallery, Kent, OH.
2008 “Cups of Kindness,” Elements Gallery/Bures Pottery, Peninsula, OH.
2006 Blossom Woodfire Show, Eels Gallery, Blossom Music Center, Kent, OH.
1995 Two person show with Nick Gonzales, Main Gallery, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA.
Awards
2009 Full Tuition Waiver/ Graduate Teaching Assistantship, Kent State University
2009, 2007, 2006 Blossom Summer Program Scholarships, Kent State University
1995 Jeanne Ward Faith Foundation Grant/ Ceramics
Published Articles
“Remembering Kirko: Kirk S. Mangus, 1952-2013,” Studio Potter, Volume 41, Winter/Spring 2015.
Education
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. MFA, Ceramics, 2009
University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA. BA, Literature, 2000.
Pasadena City College, Pasadena CA. Associate of Arts, Humanities, 1995. Emphases in
ceramics and literature.
Languages
Spanish (spoken) and English, fluent