Volunteers are an integral part of our team and comprise a large portion of the weekly "staff" at the studio. From teaching assistants to the board, volunteers provide over 5,000 hours of service to the organization each year! They are critical to every aspect of our work.
To find out how you might help, please send an email to volunteer@groundworksartlab.org.
Greg Belfor
After leaving the high-tech world, Greg found his new passion in clay. He has taken classes and workshops from 8 excellent instructors. He is totally intrigued and enthralled by the mix of what he can (mostly) control in form and what he cannot control in the firing and glazing process. Currently, he is an adult instructor and teaching assistant.
website: Greg Belfor Ceramics
instagram: @gregbelfor.ceramics
Becky Bragg
Becky began her adventure with clay in her early teens on a kick wheel at the Pittsburgh Arts Center. Since then, her creative adventures have taken her to explore ceramics, fiber arts, painting, paper, and dance, but playing with clay remains one of her favorites. A teacher by trade, Becky has taught a variety of subjects (English, Spanish, science, dance, ceramics) to people of all ages – (preschool to senior citizen) focusing on a hands-on, experiential approach to help students explore a subject with creativity and joy. “I love helping students find their own rhythm and approach in imagining the possibilities of their own creativity.”
Marley Carrington-Maurer
Marley started taking classes at Groundworks Art Lab in 2019 wanting to get back to working with her hands. Diving into both wheel throwing and hand-building techniques, she enjoys combining the two focuses to create unique sculpture forward pieces. She is passionate about creating a fun, relaxed learning environment where creativity and community thrive. Her teaching style highlights the boundless possibilities of clay, inspiring students to explore their personal artistic voices while enjoying the meditative and tactile joy of working with clay.
Anna Caruso
Anna Caruso started taking Classes with Groundworks Art Lab back in 2018 and became enamored with the sculptural and handbuilding process. She specializes in Raku firings and reduction firing techniques. She loves to create introspective pieces that are for pondering and sometimes for function. She loves teaching specialty classes, as it shows students new ways to view and create ceramics that are beyond kitchen utility.
Meredith Clinkinbeard
Meredith’s first experience in clay was in 2010 when she took her first class at the Pottery Lab. Her main focus is functional pottery. She loves making pieces that people can use every day. She became a teaching assistant and then an instructor. Her favorite part of teaching is the opportunity to witness students’ “aha” moments.
instagram: @meremudpottery
Jamie Commando
With a background in welding and woodworking, Jamie picked up pottery after graduating college in 2020. She loves how ceramics provides a constant learning experience and that there is always something new to explore within the craft. She focuses on wheel thrown pieces and enjoys experimenting with surface decoration and glazes. She is currently an instructor and studio assistant and enjoys cultivating a creative community within her classes.
Thomas Cumming
Tom has a lifelong passion for making beautiful objects. For 40 years he built and owned a studio furniture business, creating with exotic and domestic hardwoods, metals and found objects in his 1890’s Carriage House outside of Boston. He has combined a love of learning new techniques with traveling - having been influenced by carvers he met in Ubud and Kathmandu, as well as the five years spent on St. John. Tom now finds himself inspired by the mountains living in Boulder as the Manager of the woodworking shop at Groundsworks Art Lab.
Chad Corbin
Chad jokes that he is a recovering engineer who came for the clay, and stayed for the community. As an instructor, he is motivated by those moments when students "get it", and enjoys sharing the endless possibilities clay affords. As a potter, he is constantly humbled and inspired by the lessons clay has to teach us about imperfection, impermanence and non-attachment. You'll often find Chad tucked in the corner on the kickwheel exploring eastern forms and methods.
website: www.mudmeditations.com
instagram: @mudmeditations
Grace Flaherty
Grace started at Groundworks Art Lab in the handbuilding room on the Hill at 6 years old. She couldn't get enough. Before long she was on the wheel and had been taking classes for years. Grace is enamored by the process of mud turning to something you can use every day. She is now a studio assistant and instructor. Seeing students really advance in one class is one of Grace’s favorite things about teaching.
Annabelle Farris
Annabelle has been creating with clay since childhood and has been in love with the medium ever since. Clay is a contradictory thing. The nature of clay is both permanent and fragile; it holds these two truths and balances on the line of eternal and ephemeral. Annabelle’s work explores the dichotomy between displacement and belonging. She uses clay to capture how space is perceived and possessed and is interested in how it changes based on identity. Annabelle earned her BFA in ceramics from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she was a King Award recipient. She has taught art since 2018 at various programs across Colorado and started with Groundworks Art Lab in May of 2024. She loves seeing how students connect with clay and create their own worlds.
Chris Grandinetti
Chris has been a part-time potter and ceramicist for 25 years in the Boulder/Denver area. He has worked with Groundworks Art Lab and the Potters’ Guild as a clay maker, glaze tech, and pottery instructor. As a functional potter, he emphasizes how to be efficient and focuses on the relationship between the studio and the kitchen in all his classes.
Tatai Guillery
Tatai is a ceramic studio assistant and instructor. Her pottery journey began in this same studio when she was 14. Since then, her love for pottery has only grown into a passion for teaching others. Tatai believes that although she is titled a ceramics instructor, she will always be a student of the art form, as there is infinite knowledge and curiosity in the world of ceramics.
Sara Hailey
Sara is a Boulder native who started taking classes at the Pottery Lab when she was 5 years old! She has been drawn to teaching for as long as she can remember - swim lessons and horseback riding in high school turned into a career at BVSD and SVVVSD working with students with special needs. She took classes at the Lab on and off over the years and was delighted to be asked to become a teaching assistant. Now, Sara teaches adults, kids, family, and virtual programs at Groundworks Art Lab and especially enjoys teaching our Partner Program classes. Sara prides herself on making learning fun and stress-free and loves sharing skills that enrich the lives of her students.
Molly Hoverstock
Molly has a degree in Studio Arts, with a focus on handbuilt clay and printmaking. It was always hard for her to decide on her favorite art media, so it was a natural choice for her to become a middle school art teacher and work in Boulder Valley School District for 28 years! Molly finds inspiration in the creative directions students take their ideas, likes to help people find “aha moments” as they solve visual and technical problems, and loves getting her hands into art materials.
Margaret Josey-Parker
Since graduating with an MFA from the University of Oregon, I have taught ceramics at many places in Colorado and other western states. I believe art is a visual language of personal symbols and my work is a rough sketch or diary of my life. The collection of individual events and the emotional ebb and flow of everyday life eventually stream into a coherent current through my work.
website: margaretjoseyparkerart.com
instagram: @margaret_joseyparker
Teagan King
Teagan grew up spending time in her family friend's pottery studio which emphasized warmth, creativity, and playfulness. She continued to experiment with clay through undergraduate classes at Whitman College and then at the Potters Guild of Baltimore. She is thankful to have joined Groundworks Art Lab immediately upon moving to Colorado, loves the community that the pottery studio offers, and hopes to warmly welcome students into the world of pottery as they explore the multitude of possibilities that clay offers. As an instructor, Teagan is thrilled to be able to share with students her passion for creatively experimenting as well as her interest in the technical aspects of pottery!
website: https://teking35.wixsite.com/art-portfolio/
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teagan.ceramics/
Heather Kahn-Pyatt
Heather studied painting as an undergraduate, receiving her BFA from Boston University School for the Arts, and completed her MFA from the University of Oregon’s School of Art + Design. She has spent many years designing textiles and architectural graphics, as well as teaching design and color theory, all of which have informed and inspired her studio projects.
“Printmaking seems to lend itself to my blend of painterly, yet graphic sensibilities. It provides just the right amount of structure so I can balance impromptu and planned choices. I like the tactile and physical process of carving, mixing and inking plates–each being so unique and satisfying. Time and technique become woven into the print’s identity.”
Akane Kleinkopf
Akane started printmaking in 2017 at Whitman College with a focus on screenprinting and block printing, although she enjoyed experimenting with monotypes, lithographs, and intaglio etchings as well. She likes to use bold colors and incorporate themes of identity, belonging, and comfort in prints and print-based books and installations.
Jinna Lincoln
Jinna trained as a visual artist, earning an MFA from CU Boulder. She took her first class at the Pottery Lab in 2008, when her youngest child started all-day kindergarten. Since discovering hand-building, she has continued to enjoy making functional constructions with clay.
Renate Mairie
Renate Mairie is a native Boulder resident with strong ties to the artistic community. She holds a BA in Art History & Printmaking from CU Boulder, and an MA in Psychology from Regis University. Ms. Mairie has been an arts educator for 10 years, as well as an artist with over three decades of work in photography, painting, printmaking and textiles. She is deeply inspired by her students and loves to nurture talent at all levels. Renate has served on the Board of Groundworks Art Lab for 8 years and was instrumental in their printmaking program studio development. Her art resonates with celestial themes and the foundations of what brings humanity together.
James Makely
James is an exceedingly skilled and energetic metalsmith with thirty years of experience. He is an Instructor and serves on the Board of Directors for Rocky Mountain Smiths. He too has been a member of the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America for twenty two years. James specializes in the design and construction of complex curvature structures and organic forms, both realistic and abstract. He has a considerable amount of knowledge in unique metal surfaces and finishes. He brings the highest level of detail into his artisanship.
Kathryn Martinez
Kathryn has been teaching beginning pottery classes since 2014 and, prior to that, she was a teaching assistant for 9 years. She loves the enthusiasm and eagerness of beginning students and finds it very rewarding to see their skills and knowledge about the clay process grow. Her own work is primarily functional yet she is always searching for a way to embellish the ordinary and bring beauty into everyday life.
Ella Mernyk
With a background in studio art and environmental science, Ella (she/they) picked up pottery after graduating in 2019. Specializing in hand building, Mernyk likes to create complicated, design-forward, functional pieces. With students, they love to emphasize the beauty behind working with imperfections, and how limitless the art of hand building can be.
John Minkler
John began making pottery at age 17. After graduating from the University of Colorado with a B.F.A. in Ceramics and a B.A. in Art History, John worked part time as a production potter to hone his throwing skills. Tweny years later, he continues producing for the same potters and has his built his own body of work, including a unique line of stoneware pottery. All of his work begins on the potter’s wheel, but many shapes are cut and altered to create a variety of forms.
website: minklerpottery.com
instagram: @minklerpottery
Sunny Monaco
Sunny Monaco is a studio artist working and living in Boulder, Colorado. She graduated with a BFA in ceramics from University of Colorado in Boulder and completed her MA in Early Childhood psychology and Education at CU in Denver, Colorado. She has been teaching since 2005 and 11 years ago she began teaching children and adult art classes at the Center for the Arts in Evergreen. She also teaches art classes in schools in Evergreen, Longmont, Clear Creek, Golden and Boulder. She first was exposed to the pottery lab in college and began teaching classes there in January 2023. She shows and sells her work throughout Colorado. She manipulates the clay via hand building and throwing to capture outdoor images turning them into garden totems, birdbaths, birdhouses, floral platters and wall décor. Utilizing her inspirations to create an outdoor and indoor beauty. Sunny has a passion for spending time outdoors, traveling, cooking, snowshoeing, paddling, biking, hiking, gardening and the arts.
Instagram: @stella.riga.58
Melissa Pickering
Melissa Pickering studied fine art in high school and college, and began printmaking in 2008. She has her undergrad in Literature from CU Boulder and an MA in Business Leadership from Naropa University. She was an artist-in-residence at The Boulder Creative Collective with the 2019-2020 cohort, and has studied with teachers in Colorado, NYC, and Santa Fe. Melissa focuses primarily in abstract nature, inner exploration, and social justice messages using various printmaking techniques, such as monotype, collagraph, drypoint, and chine collé.
website: www.talismanplace.com/
Instagram: @talismanplace
Jessica Price
Jessica took her first class at the Boulder Pottery Lab in 1994 and has continued throughout the years as a student, teaching assistant, and now an instructor. Her work is a fusion of form and function and she particularly likes creating wheel thrown tableware while exploring different surface decoration techniques such as texture and sgraffito. She loves teaching and watching her students evolve with their technical skills and creativity. Pottery feeds her "right brain” and provides balance and harmony in her life.
Al Segal
During a career in Software Engineering, Al started doing pottery at Studio Arts Boulder in a beginner’s wheel class in 2003. Since that first class, he has learned from the talented and supportive instructors and staff here, and became a teaching assistant in 2011 and then an instructor in 2016. He loves helping newcomers learn pottery skills and techniques. His own work focusses on decorating the surfaces of wheel-thrown forms.
Samantha Shaw
Samantha grew up in the mountains of WV and from a young age loved using her hands for making things. She received her BFA in ceramics and New Genres from Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe, NV and has been making pottery since 2002. While at Sierra Nevada college she became involved in woodfired ceramics at Great Basin Pottery near Doyle Ca and fell in love with the process. Once moving to CO in 2011 she was seeking the community and process that woodfiring provides and became involved in the Anagama firings at the Pottery Lab. She has been involved with Groundworks Art Lab ever since volunteering, assisting and teaching.
Tina Tan
Tina started taking classes at the pottery lab back in the 1990s and have consistently been involved with clay since then. I love throwing on the wheel and exploring different forms, glazes, and different types of firing. Mostly, Tina focus on functional ware for everyday use.
Dan Tate
Dan began his clay journey while teaching with Boulder Valley School creating hand built forms, tiles and fish plaques. After retirement, he committed himself to learning how to throw on the wheel and now produces a variety of forms: bowls, cups and tumblers with fish. He enjoys teaching beginning students and is rewarded when they center and create pots and vessels.
Erica Ursich
There are two passions that have captivated Erica throughout her life; sculpture, and animals. These two interests evolved side by side, resulting in a dual BASc in Biology and a BFA in Ceramics at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Erica's sculptural subject matter has continued to develop according to her subjects of study, with research on anatomy and physiology fueling her drive for realism. Cats, dogs, frogs, snakes, people, eels, voles, and others have come to life through her handbuilding. Erica has been teaching Partner Programs with Groundworks Art Lab since 2022, and is now offering courses demonstrating techniques for realistic figure sculpting. She loves helping students experience the rewarding process of bringing their subjects to life with their own two hands.
Sam Watkins
Sam is a generational potter who grew up in a household using bottles, bowls, and pots created by his mom and collected from various artists. This gave him his initial inspiration and vision to start throwing on his own. Traveling and living all over the country for different farming opportunities, Sam has always prioritized practicing pottery. In 2018, Sam moved to Colorado and began studying at the Pottery Lab. He started working as a lab assistant and a teacher in 2021, as well as putting an increased focus on his personal work. Sam’s favorite part of pottery is making pieces that have an equal focus on aesthetic and functionality. Mostly, he wants to make pieces that people will use and love — until it breaks, and then he will make another!
instagram: @desert.fox.ceramics
Aaron Winston
Aaron earned a master's degree in printmaking from the University of New Mexico where he also began to practice a Japanese tradition of throwing porcelain. At the end of his studies, Aaron was invited for a short but life changing stay with Living National Treasure, Inoue Manji in Japan. Aaron then moved to San Diego, where he worked both with Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail Design creating unique service pieces in porcelain and also with Kouta Shimazaki at the San Diego Ceramic Connection learning about operating a community studio and the art of ceramics in general. In 2006, he came to Boulder, and started working at the City of Boulder Pottery Lab. In 2015, Aaron became the Director of the Pottery Lab where he continues to teach and practice.
Kari brings extensive experience in nonprofit management and leadership consulting to her role as Executive Director. Prior to moving to Colorado in 2006, she earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and a law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. She served as Board Treasurer of Groundworks Art Lab for nearly two years, helping with the transition from a city-run program to an independent non-profit organization. Earlier in her career, Kari launched both nonprofit and for-profit start-ups and also worked in marketing communications and project management. Kari is primarily responsible for the growth & expansion of the organization, including the capital campaign and construction process. As Executive Director she also manages the nonprofit support functions of the organization - finance, marketing, and fundraising - and reports to the Board of Directors.
Contact - kari.p@groundworksartlab.org
Aaron earned a master's degree in printmaking from the University of New Mexico where he also began to practice a Japanese tradition of throwing porcelain. At the end of his studies, he was invited for a short but life changing stay with Living National Treasure, Inoue Manji, in Japan. Aaron moved to San Diego where he worked with Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail Design creating unique service pieces in porcelain and with Kouta Shimazaki at the San Diego Ceramic Connection, operating a community studio. In 2006, he came to Colorado and started working at the City of Boulder Pottery Lab and in 2015 he became the Director. Aaron oversees programs and partnerships of the organization as well as major facilities decisions. He manages the program staff - instructors and teaching assistants - and is responsible for fulfilling the artistic mission of the organization. Aaron reports to the Board of Directors.
Contact - aaron.w@groundworksartlab.org
Colleen graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor's degree in recreation and leisure services. She moved to Boulder in 1989, where she and her husband have raised their two sons. Once her sons started high school, she began taking pottery classes in January 2008. She became a volunteer assistant for the adult and teen classes and started working part-time in the summer of 2011; firing kilns, making glazes and general lab duties. Colleen taught youth classes for 6- and 7-year-olds as well. She now serves as Operations Manager, overseeing all activities at the studio. She also directs the organization's administrative functions, which includes data management, accounting, and scheduling.
Contact - colleen.m@groundworksartlab.org
Meredith graduated from University of Colorado with a bachelor’s in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Biogeochemistry. Meredith has spent several years in the financial industry. In 2010, she took her first pottery class at the Pottery Lab. Through the years, she has taken on roles as a teaching assistant and pottery instructor for adult classes and now the role of Senior Manager of Administration. Outside of Groundworks Art Lab, Meredith can be found road biking, running or working in her studio.
Contact - meredith.c@groundworksartlab.org
John began making pottery in high school and was fortunate to have a great teacher and access to an outstanding facility. He earned a BFA in Ceramics and a BA in Art History at the University of Colorado. After college, he began working as a production potter and has never looked back. In 1998 he started his own ceramics business. He now lives in Longmont with his wife Mary Ellen and three kids. John brings his wealth of studio processes to his role at Groundworks Art Lab.
Contact - john.m@groundworksartlab.org
Samantha grew up in the mountains of WV and from a young age loved using her hands for making things. She received her BFA in ceramics and New Genres from Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe, NV and has been making pottery since 2002. While at Sierra Nevada college she became involved in woodfired ceramics at Great Basin Pottery near Doyle, CA and fell in love with the process. Once moving to CO in 2011 she was seeking the community and process that woodfiring provides and became involved in the Anagama firings at the Pottery Lab. She has been involved with Groundworks Art Lab ever since volunteering, assisting and teaching.
Contact - samantha.s@groundworksartlab.org
James Makely is an Artist, Designer, and Instructor who has dedicated his life to pursue his passion for blacksmithing on a full-time and professional basis. He began his passion for forging metals in his native home of West Virginia. The Appalachian hills and close contact to the abundant, vigorous vegetation play a role in his designs. At the age of twelve he fell in love with the old world traditions of blacksmithing. He explains, "I was enchanted to learn the mystique of the hot fire and wondered where it was going to take me”. For over thirty years James has worked as a blacksmith. Professionally, James’ work can be seen nationally as well as internationally. He has designed and constructed complex architectural forms, custom railings, gates, lighting, sculptures, and memorial monuments. His impeccable artisanship can be seen in every creation and he has always embraced the opportunity to provide clients with a hand-crafted legacy.
Contact - james.m@groundworksartlab.org
Melissa Pickering has been an artist and lover of the humanities from an early age. She studied fine art in high school and college, and discovered printmaking in 2008, which promptly became her artistic passion. She loves the connection between process and creativity, leveraging both sides of her brain to make, ink, and print her ideas.
Contact - melissa.p@groundworksartlab.org
Tom graduated with an engineering degree from WPI but quickly discovered that studio furniture and custom woodworking offered him much greater creative freedom. He owned a custom woodworking studio in his 1890’s Carriage House outside of Boston for 25 years. Along the way, he earned a master's degree in education and taught thousands of students woodworking. Tom has been passionate about creating fine, hand-crafted works of art in wood, metal, and found objects full-time for the past 40 years. He has combined a love of learning new techniques with traveling - having been influenced by carvers he met in Ubud and Kathmandu, as well as the five years spent on St. John. Tom now finds himself inspired by the mountains living in Boulder as the Manager of the woodworking shop at Groundworks Art Lab.
Contact - thomas.c@groundworksartlab.org
Sara is a Boulder native who started taking kids classes at the Boulder Pottery Lab when she was a kindergartner and continued taking classes as time allowed. She graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Equine Science and has spent many years teaching horsemanship. She worked for BVSD and SVVSD for over 10 years where she taught multiple subjects and ages and spent the last few years working in a life skills program with students with special needs. She is thrilled to be part of the Groundworks Art Lab community and is looking forward to bringing pottery and joy to the people engaged in the SAB Partner Program. When she's not at the studio, you can find her riding the trails around Boulder on her horse, Minnie, or at home in Longmont with her partner and two dogs.
Contact - sara.h@groundworksartlab.org
Anayeli Vazquez-Jimenez is a Colorado based visual artist and a Naropa University Honors Graduate. As an artist she expresses her creativity through visual narratives. When she is not exploring different art forms, she is found reading or running. Anayeli believes in the inherent connection to art and the need to create. She has dedicated years of research to the importance of fostering the creative self in each of us in the fields of Art Therapy and Early Childhood Development. She is happy to be a part of the amazing community at Groundworks Art Lab, an organization that shares the belief in “cultivating the artist in each of us”. Anayeli finds working in a creative and artistic environment gives her the most fulfillment in life.
Anayeli Vázquez-Jiménez es una artista visual radicada en Colorado y graduada con honores de la Universidad de Naropa. Como artista expresa su creatividad a través de narrativas visuales. Cuando no está explorando diferentes formas de arte, se la encuentra leyendo o corriendo. Anayeli cree en la conexión inherente al arte y la necesidad de crear. Ha dedicado años de investigación a la importancia de fomentar el yo creativo en cada uno de nosotros en los campos de la Arteterapia y el Desarrollo Infantil. Está feliz de ser parte de la increíble comunidad de Groundworks Art Lab, una organización que comparte la creencia de "cultivar al artista que hay en cada uno de nosotros". Anayeli considera que trabajar en un entorno creativo y artístico le brinda la mayor satisfacción en la vida.
Contact - anayeli.v@groundworksartlab.org
Codey has always had a passion for creating and helping people find that creativity within themselves. From teaching art camp in high school to teaching her classes now, she loves seeing the joy in peoples’ faces when they make something they’re proud of and want to show off. In 2018 she graduated with a BFA in Ceramics from RIT in Rochester, NY and made her way to Colorado. She has worked at a few different ceramic studios processing work, reclaiming clay, engaging with the community, and teaching all different styles of making. She's excited to see more of what happens behind the scenes in her role as program coordinator. In her free time, Codey enjoys working in her studio or hanging out with her wife and three dogs: Jedi, Oli, and Nox.
Leo earned a degree in Art History from CU Boulder and worked in high-level administration for a large arts organization where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Director’s office and managed both short- and long-term projects. He returned to school to study design and multimedia technology and became editorial designer for an online civil discourse platform where real people share real stories. Leo’s extensive skillset and administrative experience are perfectly suited to help Groundworks Art Lab grow. Outside work, Leo maintains an active interest in contemporary art history (which he assures us is not an oxymoron). He also plays the ukulele and is an avid Lego collector, just ask him.
Contact - leo.c@groundworksartlab.org
Kathy has a BA in Fashion and Textiles, but went the route of finance for most of her career. After graduation, she moved to Alaska, and enjoyed the beauty of being outdoors on the rivers and trails on boats and snowmobiles. Colorado called, and she has lived in this state since the late 1990's. After being introduced to pottery, she took many classes, began volunteering with Groundworks Art Lab, and after retiring, started working part time for Groundworks. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, quilting, reading and spending time with friends.
Contact - kathy.d@groundworksartlab.org
Taylyn's background in healthcare has shaped her deep appreciation for hearing people's stories and learning what motivates them in life. Her drive to make a difference leads her to marketing, where she seeks to connect individuals with brands and organizations that can enhance their lives. Taylyn is particularly drawn to social media marketing, recognizing its power for creativity and community-building. Groundworks Art Lab embodies those same qualities, and she is thrilled to contribute to their growth.
Contact - taylyn.c@groundworksartlab.org
Sam earned his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology from Berry College in 2014. While there, he was a studio assistant for the pottery department to hone the skills he learned at a young age. Since then, Sam practiced and worked at three pottery studios before finding Groundworks Art Lab. He took classes for three years before stepping into a part-time teaching role. Now, he is teacher and a studio assistant, focusing primarily on clay recycling, glaze formulation, and kiln processing. In his free time, Sam explores the outdoors with his partner Jennie and their dog Cahya.
Contact - sam.w@groundworksartlab.org
Jamie graduated with a bachelors in industrial design with an emphasis in furniture design. She worked for various furniture companies and sculptors over the years. Her love for 3D art and design expanded into ceramics in 2020. She learned pottery through taking classes at groundworks for 3 years. She eventually became a teachers assistant and is now a studio assistant and instructor. She spends most of her time making glazes, recycling clay and processing work. Outside of work she enjoys climbing, volleyball, cooking and traveling.
Contact - jamie.c@groundworksartlab.org
Akane began printmaking in 2017 at Whitman College, where she earned her BA in History and Japanese. She then went on to receive her MA in Japanese from CU Boulder, where she was a teaching assistant for five semesters. Akane has been teaching printmaking classes at Groundworks Art Lab since 2023, and is excited to introduce the Boulder community to the vast world of print as an instructor and studio assistant.
Contact - akane.k@groundworksartlab.org
Mr. Crifasi began taking classes at the City of Boulder Pottery Lab in 1995 and has remained an enthusiastic student of the ceramic arts ever since. Bob’s professional background is in water resources – he has over twenty five years of experience in that field – many of them spent managing non-profit irrigation ditch companies. Bob sees Groundworks Art Lab as a great community asset that can help serve Boulder as a top destination for arts learning.
Ms. Mairie is a native Boulder resident with strong ties to the artistic community. She holds a BA in Art History & Printmaking from CU Boulder, and an MA in Psychology from Regis University. She is also a librarian, arts educator and an artist with over three decades of work in photography, painting, printmaking and textiles. Ms. Mairie has served on the Board of Groundworks Art Lab for 8 years and was instrumental in their printmaking program studio development. Her art resonates with celestial themes and the foundations of what brings humanity together. She is a strong advocate for art based therapies and the exploration of creative impulses to foster emotional and mental wellbeing.
Mr. Phares is a retired cattle rancher from Montana who was born in Boulder and recently returned to his hometown. From shoe-ing his own horses to managing employees to serving on multiple nonprofit boards, Sam brings a unique combination of experiences and passions to his role as a board member. He is excited to support Groundworks Art Lab’s growth and the blacksmithing studio in particular.
Ms. Penner has a background in venture capital and corporate development. She holds an JD/MBA from University of Colorado with an emphasis in entrepreneurship and a BA from Brown University. Earlier in her career she worked for a company that manages escrows and holdbacks, a startup that developed a sleep-tracking consumer hardware product, and the CU Tech Transfer Office. For several years she served as a Director at Techstars, a global tech start-up accelerator. She began taking ceramics classes in 2016 and looks forward to helping the organization navigate its growth and expansion.
Mr. Heffron is a founder of Studio Arts Boulder and a real estate broker for nearly 50 years. He is past owner of the Art Spirit Gallery, collector of ceramic and several other art forms, judge for NCAR arts displays, past Director of National State Bank (now Wells Fargo), a Director of Downtown Boulder redevelopment, President of Rocky Mountain Center of the Environment, current Board member for Center of the American West, and founder, developer and president of The Meadows Club.
Ms. Gunter has taken classes at the studio since 2006, but her interest in ceramics has spanned many years. Christy took her first class in 1970 and continues today after a hiatus to have a family and two careers. The first was in Education – teaching, research, teacher training, program development and educational consulting. Her second career was in Business – owning and managing a sales and marketing company and as a business management consultant. Her academic background includes an undergraduate degree in Biology from UC Davis and a Masters of Arts from Stanford University. Christy brings to the Board a diverse professional background, a love of the arts, and the desire to help Groundworks Art Lab create an outstanding physical, educational, and social environment for the study of the studio arts.
Dr. Ruggero is a retired Emergency Medicine physician. She provided patient care in the Emergency Department at Boulder Community Hospital for many years as well as in private practice. She’s had an longstanding interest in the arts and took classes in painting and printmaking at CU before wandering into the ceramics department and falling in love with clay. She has been taking classes at the studio since 2016 and is glad to bring her experience and community connections to help the organization expand.
After living in Boulder for over 25 years and participating in the local arts scene, Ms. Adams brings both artistic and business management knowledge to her role on the board. In 1994, Jessica founded her own blacksmithing company, which has grown into one of the most sought-after sources of artisan-designed custom architectural and ornamental metalwork. As a co-owner of Living Design Studios, Jessica is the visionary, chief financial officer, lead designer, salesperson, and HR manager for the business. Knowing what it takes to run a successful organization coupled with a love for both the craft of metalwork and the mission of arts education makes Jessica an immensely valuable member of the board.
Ms. Rogal is co-owner and lead designer for Boulder Furniture Arts, a boutique client-to-craftsperson furniture business in Boulder that specializes in authentic woodcraft. With dual honors degrees in Fine Art History and Political Science from the University of Toronto, Hannah’s formal training is making interdisciplinary connections between art/visual culture and society. She has a unique appreciation for the influence of art and its relevance in today’s tech-savvy Boulder community and believes strongly in the power of art to realign the brain, reset accrued anxiety, and restore natural genius. Hannah’s passion for art, her business prowess, and her connections within the local wood and fabrication communities all adds up to a great member of the board.
Mr. Yamaki moved from his home state of Hawaii to attend CU Boulder, where he earned his undergraduate degree in Environmental Design. He went on to earned a Master of Architecture at CU Denver. He is currently the Design Director at Coburn Architecture where he manages the design process and coordinates project teams. He was a principal project manager for the Diagonal Crossing project where SAB’s capital expansion will be located. He’s excited to bring his expertise on the development and his connections across Boulder to support Groundworks Art Lab’s expansion.
Mr. Bueller has been a long-time resident, artist, educator, and business owner in Boulder. He developed art curriculum for local private schools and founded a custom architectural metal fabrication company that builds gorgeous shade structures that filter light using bio-mimicry designs. Mr. Bueller is joining the board at a crucial time to help the organization grow and expand it’s mission to deliver hands-on community art education.
Mr. Sagan started building wood furniture when he was six years old. His passion for helping bring creative ideas to life transferred to a career in tech, where he’s served as a product manager for a few different companies. He moved to Boulder in 2019 and founded a custom wood furniture business right before the pandemic. Luickly, many people who found themselves stuck at home, discovered they wanted to ugrade their furniture, so the business thrived despite the unique circumstances. In Fall 2023, Mike and his partner amicably closed the furniture business and he’s thrilled to help Groundworks Art Lab develop a woodworking program for kids like him who see potential in a pile of wood.
As executive leaders of the organization, both Aaron & Kari serve as ex-officio (non-voting) members of the Board of Directors, providing information and support for the Board's governance of the organization.
