Studio Apprenticeship

The studio assistantship position is an opportunity for someone interested in becoming a professional potter or studio artist. It is a two-year position, sometimes overlapping with another assistant. I have been working with potters in my studio for the past 10 years and believe I can offer a kind of mentorship that will help you embark on a career in clay. You would be expected to work twelve hours a week for me. For that you get the use of studio space and equipment. There is no exchange of money. You have access to my working knowledge as a professional potter and a way to find out what this kind of life is like first hand. It is a place for you to start to make cycles of work and market them, to exchange ideas, and to experiment with ways of presenting your work and yourself professionally.

Floyd County, Virginia is a rural farm community. It is situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Blacksburg, the home of Virginia Tech University is half an hour away. Roanoke is one hour away. Floyd is a community of craftspeople, wineries, musicians and organic farms. There are opportunities for jobs and housing in the county.

To apply for this position contact me by e-mail at: stelli@swva.net

 

 

Current Apprentices

Sarah Camille Wilson

Sarah Camille Wilson grew up in Graham NC. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Ceramics from the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine. She has worked as Silvie’s assistant since February 2008. Her pots are wheel thrown from porcelain clay. At the leather hard stage she applies slips and carves into the clay to create visual textures and designs that embrace the forms. She fires her pots in a gas kiln to 2300 F.

 

Wendy Wrenn Werstlein

"I started life, out of college, as a high school biology teacher. For ten years I taught and in my free time began developing another passion, creating functional pottery for friends, family and myself. At the end of a particularly great workshop I found myself dreaming of another career and way of life. The following year, I left my teaching job and went back to school, determined to bring this new way of life to fruition. Two years into this change I see this is the first step on a long journey of learning about my work and me. I use handmade pottery daily and feel a connection to those that produced the piece and a broader relationship with the world around me. My hope is that my work will elicit a similar response in others. I wish to make functional pots for daily use that are well made, beautiful, and will create a meaningful moment for the user.

Please visit my website, www.wrennpottery.com, to see additional images of my work."

Past Apprentices
Sarah Camille Wilson (2008 - 2010)		Dandee Pattee (2007-2008)
Elisa De Feo (2005 - 2007)		Brian Jones (2003-2005)
Anna Metcalfe (2001-2003)		Ian Anderson (1999-2001)
Jerilyn Virden (1997-1999)