I’ve been dreaming of opening a community clay studio and residency center for over twenty years, and it’s finally becoming a reality. My husband Nick and I moved to Portugal in September 2024, and have been renovating the art residency house and building out a studio space to get things started. We’re also building partnerships with local artists for collaborations and events. The goal is that this collective community of artists can help lift each other up in all aspects of the creative process, all the way through connecting with like-minded artists, art appreciators and supporters.

Since we are bootstrapping this project we've relied heavily on our community to help raise awareness and funds to get things off the ground.

In 2024, I collaborated with 7 different artists to create 11 one-of-a-kind pieces of art. The direct donations and donations received via raffle tickets, helped us raise over $15,000 (after taxes, processing fees, and conversion to Euros that’s 9,700 €)! I used thousands of my own money to purchase kilns, 2 pottery wheels, clay, glaze chemicals, the studio space, and more, but the money raised helped us acquire even more equipment (breakdown below).

This year I’ll be collaborating with new artists to continue fundraising for more studio equipment and to buy a gas kiln (we don't have enough electricity to power a bigger kiln here and after a year and a half of trying, and 5 different electricians, it's time to turn to Plan B). Details on how you can help are coming soon.