"She loved the smell of wet dirt the way others might love the smell of roses" Dawn Hewitt
Meet our Instructors
Mark Chatterley
A studio potter from Williamston, MI, Mark received an MFA from Michigan State University and has been an instructor for the Potters' Guild for more than twenty years. In addition he has taught classes at Michigan State University, Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College and has led numerous workshops. He currently is exhibiting with twelve galleries throughout the U.S. and has pieces in numerous permanent collections. Mark is the recipient of several international awards. For more information see: www.chatterley.com
Bill Guerin
Bill has a 20-year affiliation with the Potters' Guild as a student, visiting potter, member and instructor following a career as an academic researcher in geochemistry and microbiology. Wheel-thrown, functional pottery forms are the mainstays of his work in both porcelain and stoneware clays. He draws on his scientific training in the operation of the Guild's cone-10 reduction kiln and in the development and application of high-fire glazes. Bill's classes focus on the fundamentals of throwing, hand-forming and glazing. His work is available through the Potters' Guild semi-annual sales.
Lane Kaufmann
Lane earned a degree in art from Goshen College focusing on functional ceramics. After moving to Asheville NC, he helped set up the Black Mountain Center for the Arts Ceramic studio. During a residency in Seoul, South Korea, Lane worked with Korean potter Yoon Bumsuk. He then accepted a one-year appointment at The Cub Creek Foundation, a ceramics residency program in Appomattox, VA, where he mined native clays, built kilns, and did a wood-firing. After earning an MFA in ceramics from MSU, he was engaged by MSU to teach ceramics in a fixed-term faculty position. Lane also teaches pottery at the Hannah Community Center.
Sara Laitala
Sara is a lifelong resident of East Lansing and Okemos, Michigan. She completed her BFA in ceramics in 1975. In 1980, she attended a two-month Spring Concentration in Ceramics at Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina followed by numerous national and regional ceramic conferences and workshops. Sara became a member of the Greater Lansing Potters’ Guild in 2000 and has been teaching pottery classes there since 2016. She is a functional pottery enthusiast whose pots can be found in the homes of her family, friends, neighbors, and customers and are available at the semi-annual Potters’ Guild Sales.
Jim Reinert
Jim received an MFA in ceramics from Michigan State University in 1976 and currently works in Owosso, MI as an active studio potter. In addition to serving as an instructor at the Potters' Guild since 1974, Jim was involved for many years with the Lansing Community College ceramics and art programs. He was a founding member of the MI Guild of Artists and Artisans and maintains an active profile in its operation. The group produces one of the three Ann Arbor summer art fairs.
Anne Szilagyi
Anne took a circuitous route to the Potters' Guild. She earned a BFA in Art Education from MSU, with an emphasis in ceramics. As a docent at Kresge Art Museum at MSU she had the pleasure of introducing young people to the world of art. Wanting to get back into studio art she found her way to the Potters' Guild, becoming a member in 2005.
Anne has attended numerous workshops presented by talented local and internationally known potters. Her approach to ceramics ranges from totally functional to somewhat whimsical. She especially enjoys the journey of creating and learning new techniques. Reflected in her ceramics are her interconnected interests in watercolor painting, travel, history, and other art forms.