ESSA Artists in Residence Receptions & Information
To learn more about ESSA’s Residency opportunities, head to the Residency Program page here.
Residency Opportunities at ESSA
The Eureka Springs School of the arts is looking for practicing ceramics artists who are seeking focused time to refine their skills, create work and/or explore new avenues within their medium.
2026 Mentored Woodworking Residency with Doug Stowe
This summer, the Eureka Springs School of the Arts is proud to welcome an outstanding group of artists and makers to the 2026 Mentored Woodworking Residency with master woodcrafter Doug Stowe. Chosen from a strong field of applicants from across the region, these residents represent a diverse range of woodworking backgrounds, creative practices, and artistic perspectives. During this immersive two-week woodworking residency in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, participants will refine technical skills, create new work, and deepen their understanding of fine woodworking while working in ESSA’s Windgate Wood Studio in the heart of the Ozarks. Together, these emerging and established craftspeople reflect the spirit of creative community, craftsmanship, and lifelong learning that defines ESSA’s Artist in Residence program.
Save the Date: 2026 Mentored Woodworking Residency Reception at ESSA
Join the Eureka Springs School of the Arts on Saturday, June 20, 2026, for the closing reception and exhibition for the 2026 Mentored Woodworking Residency. Held on the ESSA campus in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, this special community event will celebrate the work created during the residency and offer visitors the opportunity to meet the resident artists, experience fine woodworking craftsmanship, and explore a showcase of handmade furniture, wood art, and functional objects created in the Ozarks. Select works created by the artists during the residency will also be available for purchase.
RSVP on the Facebook event page!
Meet the 2026 Mentored Woodworking Residency artists below and learn more about the creative voices joining ESSA this summer:
Amber Capps (Rogers, AR)
Amber Capps is an Army veteran and Northwest Arkansas maker who discovered woodworking six years ago and quickly developed a passion for creating beautiful, functional handmade objects for everyday life. Based in Rogers, Arkansas, Amber enjoys designing and building custom woodworking projects that blend practical craftsmanship with artistic creativity while balancing life with her family and lively collection of animals.
Bob Farris (Tulsa, OK)
Bob Farris is a retired engineer, attorney, judge, and law school professor who has long found joy in woodworking and furniture making. Working from his backyard woodshop in Tulsa, he creates a wide range of handcrafted wood objects while continuing to explore his passion for fine woodworking and craftsmanship. Outside the shop, Bob enjoys making music, baking bread, cycling, and volunteering with local gardening organizations.
Colby Lancaster (Eureka Springs, AR)
Colby Lancaster is the owner of Green Man’s Craft in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where he creates handcrafted kitchenware, home goods, personal products, and custom woodworking projects. Inspired by nature, craftsmanship, and creative expression, Colby enjoys combining functional woodworking with artistic design. He is excited to participate in the residency while preparing to welcome his first child later this summer.
Gordon Koops (Eureka Springs, AR)
Gordon Koops is a retired electrician and active volunteer who relocated to Eureka Springs five years ago. A dedicated member of the ESSA arts community, he both volunteers and studies in a variety of classes on campus. Gordon’s interest in woodworking spans more than five decades, and he especially enjoys creating handcrafted bowls and contemporary wood furniture inspired by both function and artistic design.
John Rylko (Owasso, OK)
John Rylko’s woodworking journey began alongside his father in the family fence company, where he first learned the fundamentals of building with wood and using traditional woodworking tools. Over the years, he refined his skills through classes, personal projects, and the gradual development of his own workshop. Since retiring, John has dedicated himself more fully to woodworking, creating handcrafted cutting boards, cheeseboards, and other functional wood pieces while continually exploring new techniques and ideas.
Karlena Fletcher (Fayetteville, AR)
Karlena Fletcher is a mixed-media artist living and working in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where she is currently pursuing her MFA in Studio Art at the University of Arkansas. With a background in painting and interdisciplinary studio practices, Karlena is passionate about improving accessibility in the visual arts and building connections within disabled artist communities. Her creative work explores identity, material practice, and contemporary art through a multidisciplinary approach.
Lyn Baker (Yellville, AR)
A lifelong resident of the Ozarks, Lyn Baker has pursued creative expression through music, writing, fine art, gardening, and woodworking. Primarily self-taught, he has also studied woodworking and chair building at ESSA, John C. Campbell Folk School, and several traditional woodworking schools. Lyn’s passion for craftsmanship and lifelong learning continues to guide his work, particularly in fine woodworking, chair making, and traditional craft.
2026 Spring/Summer Ceramics Residency
ESSA is thrilled to announce the artists selected for our Spring & Summer 2026 Ceramics Residency, a fully supported program designed to give practicing ceramic artists dedicated time and space to deepen their work.
Congratulations to our 2026 Artists in Residence, Kaitlyn Cirielli and Erin Harris. Over the course of the seven-week residency, from May 30th through July 18th, they will be working on campus, developing new pieces and engaging with the creative energy of ESSA.
Join us in celebrating their work at the Artist in Residence Reception on July 18, 2026, to meet the artists, experience the work created during their residency, and purchase pieces directly.
Continue reading to learn more about Kaitlyn and Erin, and be sure to save the date for this special event.
Erin Harris
Erin Harris is a ceramic artist and educator based in Oklahoma City whose playful sculptures transform everyday foods into delightful ceramic pieces inspired by human connection and the nostalgia of shared meals. Alongside her studio practice, she is active in arts education, sharing her love for ceramics with students in the local community.
Kaitlyn Cirielli
Kaitlyn’s (Providence, RI) ceramic practice is all about making tools that help the hand to form, pattern, and layer clay into functional objects. Kaitlyn holds a BFA in Ceramics and a Masters in Teaching + Learning in Art and Design from RISD.
Past Artists In Residence
Past Ceramics Artists In Residence
Past Small Metals Artists In Residence
Past Wood Artists In Residence
Past Iron Artists In Residence
Past 2D Artists In Residence
2025
2025 Summer Ceramics Residency
Kim Brook
Kim Brook is a ceramicist, arts educator and arts facilitator based in Lawrence, KS. Her art and projects explore connections-human connection, community connection and connecting memories with art. Kim teaches at the Lawrence Arts Center and in rural Kansas communities. In addition, Kim facilitates Mid-America Arts Alliance’s program, Artist Inc.
Beth Rosenkoetter
Beth is a working potter and painter. She has been studying art and fine tuning her skills for the last 30 years. The natural world is very close to her heart, along with her son and her dog. Her home base is in Hartville, MO.
To celebrate their time at ESSA, we hosted an Artist in Residence Closing Reception and Sale on Saturday, July 19th from 2 – 5:30 PM. This event featured a chance to view and purchase work made by Kim and Beth during their residency, listen to an Artist Talk, and ask them questions about their inspiration and technique.
To learn more about Kim and Beth’s time at ESSA, view the work they produced, and their Residency Reception, read the blog below.
Summer at ESSA is always buzzing with creativity, but in 2025, the energy burned especially bright in the Ceramics Studio. […]
Ceramics Artist in Residence Winter 2025
Jessica Ames-Russell:
Jessica Ames-Russell is an accomplished artist and entrepreneur based in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. With over 20 years of diverse experience in the arts, she has worked extensively across a variety of media, including painting, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, and printmaking. Jessica earned her BFA in Painting and Photography and spent 15 years as a dedicated high school art teacher, where she guided numerous student art shows and community projects.
Website: https://longviewstudios.com/
Learn more about Jessica's time at ESSA by reading the blog post below:
Jessica Ames-Russell’s 2025 Winter Ceramics Residency at ESSA From February 1 to March 15, 2025, the Eureka Springs School of […]
2024
Ceramics Artists in Residence Fall 2024
Sabrina Barilone
Sabrina is a first and third generation Italian-American living in Ohio. She is a third-year MFA candidate focusing in Ceramics at Miami University in Oxford. She received an BFA in Art Education with a concentration in Ceramics from Georgia State University in 2002. She has taught in Georgia public schools for 20 years while completing post-baccalaureate work at GSU and attended workshops at Penland, Arrowmont and Santa Fe Clay. She has been awarded as Arrowmont’s Bill Griffith Educator in 2021.
Neena Wang
Neena Wang is an artist and curator from Memphis, currently based in Los Angeles. Her practice uses sculpture, painting, performance, and music to imagine alternative futures and create them into the present. She has been an artist-in-residence at Jentel Arts in Banner, Stove Works in Chattanooga, Crosstown Arts in Memphis, and Paul Artspace in St. Louis. Her work has been shown in Los Angeles, Memphis, Chattanooga, St. Louis and she has received grants from Tri-Star Arts, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and Q-Wave.
Learn more about Neena Wand and Sabrina Barilone's time at ESSA by reading the blog post below:
The Eureka Springs School of the Arts (ESSA) proudly hosted two remarkable ceramic artists, Neena Wang and Sabrina Barilone, during […]
Ceramics Artists in Residence Summer 2024
Elaina Michalski
Elaina works primarily with clay to create figurative sculptures of women, children, and youth. In works ranging from small fired works to life-size unfired clay installations in public spaces, she explores ideas about family relationships, spirituality, and vulnerable people.
As a Kansas City native, growing up in the “City of Fountains” has influenced her work by the many figurative and decorative elements of the local architecture.
The artwork of Elaina Michalski
Website: respiritstudios.com
Peggy Lee Roadifer
Peggy fell in love with pottery making the first time she saw an artist throwing a pot on the wheel.
“My work is all about functionality and affordability and making beautiful pieces that can be used and enjoyed by everyone. I love teaching and sharing my passion. Pottery making provides healing, nurturing energy and a self-absorbed time for reflection. Let’s get our hands dirty, play in the mud, and create something beautiful together.”
The artwork of Peggy Lee Roadifer
Website: windrosepottery.com
For more information on the 2024 Summer Ceramics Residency, read the blog post below:
The Eureka Springs School of the Arts (ESSA) proudly celebrated the culmination of its 2024 Summer Ceramics Artists in Residence […]
2023
Lisa Crews and Stefani Christianson Ceramics Artists in Residence July 2023
Lisa Crews (Paragould, AR) has been honing her skills working with clay for over forty years. She studied ceramics at Arkansas State University (BFA), Memphis State University, and the University of Delaware, in addition to teaching art in public schools for ten years. She utilizes art to convey her thoughts and feelings, peculiar observations, and her sense of humor. Her work is inspired by nature, the human condition, and our place in the world, and she considers herself to be a contemporary folk artist.
Stefani Christianson (Hindsville, AR) has studied ceramics and pottery since 2014. Stefani approaches her work with unplanned designs where she then channels and creates completely in the moment having no expectations for the end results. As an artist, she tends to work in the round so that the eye continues from one thing to another, then to the bottom where you can find her unique artist mark. She wants her viewers to experience complete gratitude, fully understanding and appreciating the little things that this world has to offer.
Website: Stefani Christianson | Instagram (@potter.by.the.c)
For more information on Lisa Crew's and Stefani Christianson's 2023 Ceramics Residency, read the blog post below:
Eureka Springs School of the Arts 2023 Ceramics Residency Reception The Eureka Springs School of the Arts held a reception […]
2022
Alyssa Zimmerman and Hana Maufe Ceramics Artists in Residence December 2022
Alyssa Zimmerman
Alyssa (Eureka Springs, AR) received her BFA from Millersville University of Pennsylvania in 2015. She moved to Eureka Springs further exploring the possibilities of ceramic through thrown and handbuilt pieces. Her areas of interest are thrown and altered pieces, glazing, and figurative sculpture.
Hana Maufe
Photos from Alyssa and Hana's Closing Reception:
Ash Atterberry Ceramics Artist in Residence October 2022
Images from Ash's Closing Reception on October 9th, 2022
Carroll County News October 4, 2022 in Lifestyle The Eureka Springs School of the Arts has announced an art show […]
Ash Atterbery
Ash Atterberry is a ceramic artist currently working out of Nashville, TN. While leaving evidence of her hand, she uses surface to tell tales through imagery, patterns, and bold, slightly wavered lines. Many of her narratives and ideas come from things she habitually looks at and the emotions they elicit. Influenced by nature, music, and the places she has spent time, her work appears folk and timeless.
Website: Ash Atterberry | Handwings Ceramics
2023
Dana Finimore
Dana (Mountain View, AR) earned a BFA and MFA at Memphis College of Art. She is currently a Professor of Art at NWCC and a Teaching Artist at Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Mobile Museum of Art, Mississippi Craftsman’s Guild, Arkansas Craft School, and Art Place Mississippi. Dana has enjoyed a diverse career path as a visual artist. Her work as an artist includes printmaking, painting, clay, and small metals.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dfinimore
2021
Robert Dancik
Robert (Seymour, CT) is an artist/educator/author and developer of materials for artists. His work can be seen in numerous books, publications, museum and private collections around the world. Robert has taught for over 30 years working with students from kindergarten to graduate school as well as teaching workshops across the US and abroad.
Website: https://www.fauxbone.com/
Sara Doremus
Sarah Doremus lives in Deer Isle, Maine in a house up a mile-long dirt driveway that her wife, Linda and she bought because it fulfilled her most important housing requirement: It is private enough to hang laundry naked. She was trained as a sculptor but after college in a metalsmithing studio and her work has since been jewelry sized. Sarah produces work for galleries and private clients and teaches workshops around the country (including Penland, Peter’s Valley, Arrowmont, and more). Her work is held in private and public collections, has been included on blogs and in publications, and has been part of numerous shows. The bulk of her time is devoted to teaching art at two rural Maine elementary schools, where her work often takes the form of collaboration with 8 year olds.
Website: https://www.sarahdoremus.com/
2024
2024 Woodworking Mentorship with Doug Stowe
ESSA put out a call looking for practicing woodworkers and craftspeople seeking focused time to refine their abilities, create new work, and expand their knowledge in a Mentored Residency under Master Woodcrafter, Doug Stowe. ESSA chosen seven candidates to participate in this once in a life time mentorship. The woodworking residents chosen for this prestigious program were: Arden Carlson, Gordon Koops, Nicole Reidinger, John Rylko, Shannon Smith, Blake Werner, and David Wimberley.
ESSA’s 2024 Woodworking Residency Participants: Assistant Mentor Larry Copas, David Wimberley, Gordon Koops, Shannon Smith, Blaker Werner, John Rylko, Arden Carlson, Residency Mentor Doug Stowe, Nicole Reidinger, and ESSA Iron and Wood Studio Coordinator Megan Abajian pictured in front
For more information on the 2024 Woodworking Residency, read the blog post below:
The Eureka Springs School of the Arts (ESSA) recently hosted its highly anticipated 2024 Woodworking Mentorship and Residency, bringing together […]
About Doug Stowe:
Doug Stowe, a veteran woodworker based in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, has dedicated over 45 years to his craft. Alongside his extensive woodworking experience, he’s renowned for his 15 books and over 90 articles published in leading woodworking publications like Fine Woodworking and Woodwork.
Doug’s journey began in 1976, leading him to co-found the Eureka Springs Guild of Artists and Craftspeople in 1977. Later, in 1998, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Eureka Springs School of the Arts.
In 2001, Doug initiated the Wisdom of the Hands Program, demonstrating the educational value of woodworking. His contributions earned him recognition as an Arkansas Living Treasure in 2009. Today, Doug shares his expertise through teaching woodworking classes while continuing to write and create in his forest workshop alongside his wife, Jean.
Website: Doug Stowe – Woodworker
Coming soon!
Check out our upcoming Iron Workshops here.
Coming soon!
Check out our upcoming 2D Workshops here.