OUR INSTRUCTORS
The artists, potters, and craft practitioners who teach at Hickory Clay.
Every Hickory Clay instructor is a working ceramic artist with their own studio practice — not a generalist hired off a list. Most have taught at Hickory Clay for years, and many have decades of experience in clay. Our students learn from people who go home and make work themselves, which is the only way we know how to teach pottery well.
See current class schedule → · One-time classes → · Workshops → · Private lessons →
CO-OWNERS
DANIEL KARVASALES
Daniel brings over 25 years of throwing experience to the studio and is a co-owner of Hickory Clay. He has mastery of wheel-throwing techniques and excels at creating precise, visually balanced vases — his work has a delicacy, precision, and pristine quality that's distinctive in the studio.
Daniel designs most of our in-house glazes, with a particular passion for subtle mattes. He teaches intermediate throwing, advanced vase making, and off-the-hump workshops.
Daniel’s Instagram
ASHLEY HINTON
Ashley is a working architect and studio artist, and a co-owner of Hickory Clay. She is known for her minimalist, small-necked vases, and has a deep passion for bright colors, crawl glazes, and sourcing wild clay. She brings secondary design elements to her pieces; in a recent 8-week lamp class she integrated electricity and indirect lighting into pieces.
She teaches our Glaze Design & Mixing series, brings hands-on examples to every session, and finds her teaching tables covered in dozens of test tiles and experiments. She curates all of our classes and syllabi.
Ashley is also available for private lessons.
INSTRUCTORS
The artists, potters, and craft practitioners who teach at Hickory Clay.
KEISHA
Keisha founded Quiche Ceramics as an expression of values she's worked hard to cultivate: growth, connection, and curiosity. "Quiche" is the nickname she uses when speaking to herself with kindness — something many people struggle to do.
Her work invites slowness. When you pour yourself a cup of coffee, water a plant, or sit down to a homemade meal in a piece she's made, the hope is that the object itself feels like a small expression of kindness.
CATHY NILAND
Cathy's wheel-thrown ceramics focus on function and finish. She treats each utilitarian piece as a canvas for repetitive themes through carving and pattern work. Many of her pieces have a tactile quality that invites handling.
Cathy holds a BFA from Pratt Institute with a concentration in drawing and extended ceramics studies, and studied conceptual video and installation art at Central Saint Martins in London. She has explored themes of repetition across multiple mediums, including drawing, since 2011. Cathy teaches Intro to Wheel Throwing on Mondays.
BILL KUENNE
Bill has a passion for trying anything and everything in clay. He primarily works on the wheel — creating striking vases and forms — and then alters them in unexpected ways. Imagine rusty glaze used to create cast-iron chain detail on an urn, or a cylinder altered into a pitcher, or texture built from scratch.
He works with students hands-on to draw out their creativity. Every idea should be tested, and none are too small.
Bill’s Instagram
JERRY BOLD
Jerry studied ceramics at the university level and brings strength in both functional wheel throwing and abstract handbuilding. His work focuses on pattern design and the layering of different clay types and colors — both geometric and organic in feel.
He has a particular gift for explaining throwing techniques to beginners — succinct, clear, and confidence-building — and works with advanced handbuilding students to push their creativity. Jerry teaches Next Step Wheel and our Introduction to Handbuilding classes.
Jerry’s Instagram
MONIQUE TODEBUSH
Monique brings her Japanese heritage to her ceramics practice with delicate details and precision. She is inspired by how people use ceramics in their daily lives — how the detail of each piece can shape a warm, inviting experience.
Each of Monique's pieces is a study of its own, considered individually. This thoughtful approach infuses a welcoming spirit to her work. Monique teaches our Mommy & Me pottery classes, along with specialty handbuilding, origami, and ikebana workshops.
Monique’s Instagram
THERESA VON DOHLEN
Theresa works in exhibitions and curations at a local museum. She brings a drive and precision to her work, constantly pushing forms and pieces forward. Porcelain is a favorite medium, due its purity and beauty.
Theresa brings attention to detail and clear direction to teaching and communication. Students leave passionate and excited about their work.
Theresa curates Hickory Clay’s annual community show and has a passion for grassroots arts and local culture.