Marian Draper is a ceramic artist whose work is deeply inspired by verdant botanicals and historical patterns. Born and raised in Rome, New York, Draper earned her Bachelor’s in Studio Arts, with a concentration in ceramics, from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, NY, in 2022. During her time at RIT, she focused primarily on creating large-scale vessels, with an emphasis on form and process.
After graduation, Draper relocated to Asheville, NC, to complete a long term  residency at Odyssey ClayWorks. At Odyssey, she expanded her practice by exploring surface applications and design, incorporating mono-printing techniques alongside her form explorations. She also gained valuable experience as a studio intern at Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, MN.
Marian is a recipient of the 2024 Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist Award. Her work reflects her passion for both form and process, infused with a love for rich flora and vibrant surfaces. When not working in clay, Draper enjoys spending time outdoors, drawing inspiration from the landscape for her next creation.

The ceramic works of Samuel Sarmiento are, first of all, objects. Depicting myths and literary stories from across the Caribbean and South America, they do so as sculpted surfaces that create their own boundaries. They are self-contained worlds still connected to everything around them. History is palpable, bodies emerge from bodies emerging from bodies – or do they sink back into time, towards an origin we shall never know? There are forests, seas, cities, animals, trees, goddesses, humans, and meaningful scenes. Humans tell each other about the universe, how it came to be; they pass on secrets of death and procreation together with truths of conflict and suffering, and a hope of redemption. As Sarmiento’s works capture a vibrant oral tradition, they also encapsulate the act of storytelling itself.
Samuel Sarmiento (Venezuela, 1987) is a self-taught artist. He has participated in various exhibitions, individually and collectively, in Venezuela, Colombia, Aruba, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, France, Mexico, Panama, Argentina, and China,

Tommy Lomeli is an emerging ceramic artist born in Stockton, California. Lomeli holds a BA from CSU Sacramento and an MFA from the University of Kansas. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the International Sculpture Center’s 2024 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture award, and first place at NCECA’s 2023 National Juried Student Exhibition.