Teachers

our teachers

Howard Gerstein

Howard Gerstein (he/him) has been making art since childhood, and it continues to be a passion. He received his B.F.A. from the University of Cincinnati and has been working in clay since 1985. Howard currently teaches ceramics at Mudflat Studio and Boston University. His work is included in the recently published Lark Book 500 Animals in Clay, and was chosen for the juried show “The State of Clay, 2007.”

Martha Gold

Martha Gold (she/her) worked as a production potter in Oregon and Connecticut from 1974 through 1987. After an eighteen year break, Martha now enjoys creating one-of-a-kind clay pieces without the pressure of production schedules. Function is still very important in her work, from kitchen and tabletop ware to Asian-inspired lanterns. Martha received a B.A. in Art History from Boston University.

CHESKA KOMISSAR

Cheska Komissar (she/her) earned her undergraduate and master's degrees from Boston University. She has been working with clay for over 20 years and teaches our beginner wheel class and our children's classes. With a background in special education, she firmly believes that everyone can work with clay and carries that attitude into her classes. Her motto is "If it's not fun, then you shouldn't do it" and her students are always having fun.

David Lapierre

David LaPierre (he/him) has been working in clay for more than 35 years. He received his B.F.A. from the University of Connecticut after which he apprenticed in pottery with Jim Cresswell in Milton Keynes, England. David set up a clay program for teens of the Navaho Nation in Window Rock, Arizona, where he worked for four years. He also set up a production pottery studio for a business in Curacao, where he streamlined the business creating glazes for a utilitarian line of pottery. Back in Massachusetts, David was part of the technical support staff for Dimitri Hadzi for almost two years and has taught at Mudflat Studio since the mid-nineties. His elegant claywork is wheelthrown, using porcelain and stoneware. David works in series of variables of the same form while manipulating the surfaces. His teaching includes learnings from Zen yoga and the physics of clay.

Michelle Lougee