ABOUT MUDCITY
MudCity Clay is a community clay space located in the historic Gonic Mill. Artist and owner, Meghan Samson, opened the doors in January of 2020, looking to provide a creative space where folks of all ages and abilities could come and create using clay as an art medium.
Clay is tangible, moveable, moldable earth.
It immediately resonates with all people because it was one of the first art mediums our ancestors ever touched to express their own ideas and tell their stories.
Clay molds our artistic vision and provides a creative outlet in a world where we often have little control. Ceramics inherently requires a community to help share resources, teach each other the endless possibilities clay has, and to gather in a safe and supportive art studio. MudCity is built on all of these traits, providing a caring, safe, and artistic outlet for all to enjoy and grow in.
OUR CLAY-LOVING CREW
Meghan Samson
OWNER
she/her . @mesclay
Meghan received her BFA from the University of New Hampshire in ceramic sculpture, and her MFA from Boston University in sculpture. She doesn't remember a time when she hasn't made things, and has been a self-proclaimed artist since the very beginning.
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Meghan fell in love with clay in high school and has spent many years making ceramic things, traveling through artist residencies and assistantships and teaching. Firing kilns of each and every kind. She has taught art and ceramics for most of her career first as a high school art teacher and then as a professor of ceramics. Through her many years working in many different clay studios, Meghan always dreamed of creating a studio where community could thrive, and art could be shared without judgment in a communal space for all ages and all people. A place where folks could make things together. MudCity Clay was born of this vision, opening in 2020 and evolving to something more beautiful than she could have ever dreamed of, with the help of many wonderful people. Meghan makes art and lives in southern Maine with her partner and two boys, and their pup Rita.
Clara Andross
STUDIO MANAGER / INSTRUCTOR / MEMBER
she/her . @andross.arts
Clara has worked with clay off and on since middle school, but has been working very consistently for the past five years. She primarily throws on the wheel, with an ever-growing appreciation for hand-built work.
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Up until this year, she and her friend Leigh Cronin owned a ceramics business called Off Menu Pots. Leigh did all the surface design while Clara made all the pottery. Now that this business has closed, Clara is working to develop her own signature surface design for the pieces she makes. Clara has dreams of throwing huge multi-piece works, as well as aspirations to make tons of perfect tiny pieces. She is thankful to be able to work with clay so much of the day. On top of their dedication to her own learning and art, she teaches multiple classes a week at MudCity and is the Studio Manager.
Jackie Driscoll Carlstedt
OPERATIONS MANAGER / MEMBER
she/her
Jackie of all trades, she is indeed. She is a mom of multiples, an artist, a loving partner and lifelong learner. Jackie has been messing with mud for over four years now and she has worked in other mediums throughout her life.
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Printmaking, photography, stained glass and mixed media are some of her other passions — plus all the crafting and cardboard cutting that comes with being a mom. Jackie loves being a member and manager of MudCity where she gets to engage with other makers and learn through independent practice. She grew up on the Seacoast and lives in Maine with her husband and three kids (soon to be four).
Nikki Santiago-Richardson
INSTRUCTOR / Work-Trade Member
she/her . @ntsr.ceramics
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Nikki has been making art for most of her life and has found a real love for ceramics and a passion for handbuilding. Mostly self-taught, she’s been working with clay at Mudcity for over 5 years, as a member, intern and instructor. You can find her teaching workshops and classes in the MudRoom and around town. Nikki likes to challenge students to explore different ways to play with clay and how to mix other craft-mediums into their practice. Outside of MudCity she's at home in the garden or her studio shed and otherwise living it up in the woods of Maine with her husband, kiddo, dog, and cat.
Emily Wernig
INSTRUCTOR
she/her . @emwernigceramics
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Emily’s love for clay started in high school and intensified during her studies at the University of New Hampshire. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the UNH in May 2018 with a BFA in ceramics and drawing. Emily has had her work exhibited at the Portsmouth Music and Art Center, Bedrock Gardens, UNH Museum of Art, and the New Hampshire Art Association. Post-grad, Emily taught at The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts in Highlands, North Carolina as the Ceramic Teaching Resident. She worked in the Dave Drake Studio Barn, under the direction of Frank Vickery, teaching classes and assisting with general studio upkeep. She taught ceramics at UNH as an adjunct professor from 2020-2024. She is an active member of the New Hampshire Potter’s Guild and enjoys firing their newly built Nakanagama wood kiln. Emily resides in the NH Seacoast, making and selling her pottery, as well as teaching ceramics at MudCity Clay in addition to her own studio, Clay Culture Studios.
Stephanie Evans
INSTRUCTOR
she/her . @sevans83
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Stephanie earned her BFA in ceramics from Plymouth State University in 2005 and began her journey in clay as an apprentice with a potter in New Hampshire. She then moved to Florida for an artist residency at a truly unique gallery, where her early work focused on personal exploration and alternative firing techniques.
After her first daughter was born, Stephanie and her husband returned home to Maine. Today, their life is full of family and activity with two daughters, four cats, one lively dog, and a flock of chickens. She loves spending time at home in her garden when she’s not working with clay.
For the past eight years, Stephanie worked as a production potter in NH, where she learned to repair electric kilns, explored glaze chemistry, and developed new lines of work. While the experience was invaluable in strengthening her skills, she is now excited to return to a more creative, inclusive and community-oriented clay space — one that allows her to reconnect with her personal voice and shape the next chapter of her clay journey.
Molly Raffensberger
INSTRUCTOR / Work-Trade Member
she/her . @mkr.ceramics
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Although a conservation major, Molly took Meghan's Intro to Ceramics class at UNH and fell back in love with clay. She would spend all of her free time within the UNH studio creating and learning. From there, she knew she wanted to continue her journey with clay and applied for the work trade here at MudCity Clay. Over the years, learning more about herself as an artist and the medium of clay, she has stepped into an educator role, taking on teaching ClayPlay classes. Now, as an instructor, she hopes to help others find their way in clay and the same love she has found within this art medium.
KIDS
INSTRUCTORS
Jen Pratt
KIDS INSTRUCTOR
she/her
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Jen has loved playing with clay since she was a child. Her curiosity to craft and create drew her to explore painting, drawing, sculpture, and ceramics as a student of fine arts at the University of New Hampshire. She has taught children in early education and shared her passion of arts in after school elementary enrichment programming. As a member of MudCity Clay since its opening, she enjoys time as a studio intern and loves expanding her skills and knowledge within a working studio. Her clay works, hand-built and often inspired by nature, are a practice in play, curiosity, and presence. She teaches several kids clay classes in MudCity’s new clay classroom, the MudRoom, and hopes to continue sharing her joy of clay with a growing community of students and artists alike.
Amy Donais
KIDS INSTRUCTOR
she/her
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Amy is a ceramic artist living and working in Berwick, Maine with her husband, child, dog, and two cats. Her work is rooted in a lifelong love for the arts, which began in childhood and evolved into a professional practice. She studied at the University of New Hampshire where she earned her bachelors in ceramics and studio art.
In her home studio, Amy creates nature-inspired sculptures and minimalistic ceramic jewelry. In her spare time, you can find her in the kitchen baking. She also shares her passion of art and teaching through hands-on classes for children ages 5–14, encouraging creativity expression and exploration of the imagination through clay.
Heather Whitford
KIDS INSTRUCTOR
she/her . @zee_makes_stuff
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Heather has been a maker for as long as she can remember, exploring her creativity through both fiber and clay. She first fell for pottery back in high school in Milford, CT, and years later found her way back to clay as a student at MudCity Clay. What started as a class quickly grew into a passion and a real love for the community that makes MudCity so special. Her time at the studio has only deepened her belief that play fuels learning and that making art together is one of the best ways to connect with others.
She and her incredibly supportive husband raised two kids who grew up to be talented artists and musicians, and now she spends her days in the woods with three dogs, two cats, and a pile of creative projects. Thanks to the encouragement and inspiration from Meghan, Heather discovered how much she loves teaching and sharing the magic of clay with younger generations. She hopes to always stay curious, keep her hands muddy, and continue learning alongside the kids she teaches.
Apprentices
Ceili Mc-B
Apprentice
they/them
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Ceili has been playing with clay from a very young age. Working with other mediums, like colored pencils and acrylic, they love to experiment and most of all, create. Ceili currently works in a forest classroom as a toddler lead teacher. Returning to nature and being surrounded by it is extremely important to them. Starting a business shortly after beginning their internship at MudCity, Pokeweed Productions has been a passion project. Their work is a blend of spirituality, individuality, queerness, and of course, the peculiar. MudCity has given Ceili so much inspiration, and empowerment, not only to create art but to remember to slow down and be present.
Lizah Cole
Apprentice
they/them
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Lizah received their BFA in ceramic sculpture. During those years they primarily worked with slabs and body-like creations exploring texture, nature and self. Since graduating in 2021, they worked as an intern for Mudcity through 2022. After a long break, they returned to the studio to embrace clay and community. Their favorite thing about the studio is the people; the supportive and nurturing behavior of members and staff, and the privilege of supporting and seeing their creations. They love loading and unloading the kiln as it’s a new puzzle every time and there’s a rush of excitement to see the glazed pieces all fired! Outside of ceramics, Lizah enjoys reading, playing video games, and spending time with their husband and cats.
katie robertson
Apprentice
she/her
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Katie Robertson is an evolving artist in many mediums including jewelry, textiles, paper, clay, photography and a lover of all things home. She studied Interior Design in College and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in environmental psychology (the relationship between people and their built environments). She is passionate about beautiful, balanced, and well lived-in spaces.
Katie came to MudCity in 2024 to re-introduce herself to clay, after almost a decade hiatus from making clay beads. After five sessions of handbuilding classes she re-discovered her love of working with clay, beyond beads, and a community she truly valued. Becoming a work-trade member allows her to work in the studio in pockets of her sporadic free time, where she continues to challenge herself in surface design techniques and constructing new form
Jean LaDuke
Apprentice
they/she
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Jean has been working with clay for most of their life. While their interests lean toward sculpture, they love creating everything. Jean finds fascination and beauty within the relationship of the expression of affection. While they like to work with many mediums, clay is the primary basis of their work. MudCity Clay has offered not only space to work but a very loving and inspiring community as well. Jean loves commission work and trading. Please reach out either on social media or in person to create something special.
ALL LEVELS
POTTERY CLASSES
WHEEL THROWING + HANDBUILDING
We offer pottery classes for kids and adults to explore their creativity in a safe and nurturing space.