Past Long Term Resident

Dante Gambardella
2024 Quigley-Hiltner Fellow
Bozeman, Montana

Gambardella grew up in the Bay Area and discovered ceramics after moving to Bozeman, MT. While studying at Montana State University, he became deeply interested in wood firing and using local materials—techniques ceramicists have practiced for thousands of years.

In recent years, Gambardella has expanded his practice to include ceramic furniture and glaze paintings. Still, he remains deeply inspired by Montana’s rich geology and the unique experience of working with local materials. To him, the world of clay is about engaging with his community, contributing to a network of shared knowledge, and continuously challenging himself as an artist.

Jason Lee Starin
2024 Sarah Frederick Scholar
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Jason Lee Starin has shown in numerous group exhibitions throughout the USA, most notably at Atlantic Gallery, NYC., Katherine E. Nash Gallery, MN., Law Warschaw Gallery, MN., Woodmere Art Museum, PA., Gravity Gallery, MA., American Museum of Ceramic Art, CA., The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design, NC., GCA Gallery, NYC., Arizona State University Art Museum, Ceramics Research Center, AZ., The Clay Studio, PA., and San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, TX.

Starin is currently a full-term artist in residence at The Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT. From 2015 – 2019, Starin was a full-term resident artist at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA. In 2017, Starin received an Independence Foundation Fellowship Grant to research his interest in Geomythology during a two-month stay at the NES Artist Residency in Skagaströnd, Iceland. From 2015 to 2020, Starin served as a Faculty Member as well as the Ceramic Shop Supervisor and Technician in the Craft and Material Studies Program at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. During that time, he also taught Advanced Handbuilding classes at The Clay Studio. From 2013 to 2014, Starin was the Lead Ceramic Technician and Studio manager for the Ceramic Department of Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, OR. He has held positions with BDDW, LLC., Mudshark Studios, LLC., Michael Curry Design, Inc., The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, as well as Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.

Starin received his MFA in Applied Craft and Design from Pacific Northwest College of Art and Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2011, and his BFA in Ceramics from Grand Valley State University in 1999. In 1998, he studied Conceptual Art and Sculpture at Kingston University, Kingston, United Kingdom.

Jake is a potter living in the mountains outside of Helena, Montana with his family. He was born and raised in Helena, and much of the ideas behind his work are influenced by the landscapes of Montana and from growing up in a community that has long supported artist-potters. After pursuing opportunities around the country for the last decade, he moved back to Helena in 2023 to settle down and build a sustainable studio practice.

Jake’s formative education in ceramics came through working at craft schools, community studios, and for other artists, and he received his MFA in Ceramic Art from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He has completed artist residencies at Red Lodge Clay Center, Pottery Northwest, and Studio 740, and is excited to begin a long-term residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in 2025.