Department of Art
Coming Soon
Ceramics is a peculiar field-- community is a crucial element to realize any result in ceramics, as very little can be accomplished completely alone. There is a cultural legacy of mentorship, leadership, mutual instruction, knowledge sharing, and support in the community, and at its best these priorities can prove deeply moving and meaningful. I learned so much by being among a varied cohort of peers who brought such a breadth of experience to their practice. Sara Hensel '18, BFA: Ceramics
"Queer Cat is a free annual ceramic art program serving LGBTQIA+ artists in the Portland area, driven by community-building, advocacy, and accessibility. Our programming provides queer folks an access point and launchpad for growth in the local wood-fire ceramics community, centering clay education, mentorship, and the creation of ceramic art. Queer Cat challenges patriarchal, racist, and ableist norms pervasive in wood-fire spaces by supporting access for QTBIPOC, increasing gender diversity, and offering clay education at no cost. To that end, Queer Cat programming includes free workshops, community events, and opportunities for leadership, mentorship, and education."
I am a potter and ceramics instructor living in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. I currently teach all levels of wheel and hand building at a few studios in town— Heirloom Ceramics, Morning Ceramics, and Elemental Studios.
I earned a BFA in ceramics from University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2018. In Fairbanks, the unique “potluck culture” that so celebrated the abundance of the Alaskan landscape and community kept me chasing ideas of generosity and service in my “Make Home” thesis pieces. To this day, my work is still very much about sharing the harvest around and within.
Summer opportunities to teach ceramics to youths while in the BFA program nurtured an ethic of playfulness in my work. The directness and earnestness of the kids’ handing of the clay yielded pieces that were extremely sweet and intimate— little windows into each kid’s soul, and some of the best art I will ever see in my life.
I have been teaching adults since October 2022, and find that my practice has become so much richer for the opportunity to guide and encourage others through the challenges and triumphs of working with clay. Those relationships are treasured joys, and great reminders to stay oriented to my community.
I strive to imbue my work with humor, curiosity, and observation, and hope to reach out to users through the fingerprints, scrapes, and smears that mark my process.
