January 17 – February 22, 2026
Main Gallery
Artist talks: Friday, January 16, 4 pm
Opening Reception: Friday, January 16, 6 – 8 pm
Virtual Tour available January 22
Join us in celebrating the achievements of our 2024 – 25 Early Career Artist Grant Recipients. Northern Clay Center administers several grant programs designed to support artists in the early stages of their careers through residencies, grants, and education. This exhibition features the work of Jessica Hernandez, Hannah Kautto, and Anastasia Speer.
Northern Clay Center’s Early Career Artist Residency programs are designed to provide emerging ceramic artists an opportunity to be in residence for one year at NCC. Between September 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025 the residents had the opportunity to develop their work while exchanging ideas and knowledge with a dynamic network of ceramic artists. Among national clay art centers, NCC offers an urban experience within a diverse and supportive community.
About the Artists
2024 Anonymous Artist Studio Fellowship Recipients
The Anonymous Artist Studio Fellowship was awarded to two early career ceramic artists working in a functional, sculptural, relational, or installation-based manner. Fellows shared a furnished studio space with 24/7 access to NCC’s facilities.
Jessica Hernandez is a ceramic artist working in Buffalo, NY. Born in California, Hernandez uses her passion for aquatic life to give a voice to the plight of these animals in the ever-changing political and environmental landscape. Her biomorphic sculptures are inspired by recurring dreams, literature, and the vast beauty of the ocean. Using the visual language of coral, crustaceans, mollusks, and other sea life, Hernandez conceives forms of life that may exist only within a human-constructed record. She uses wheel throwing, handbuilding, and press mold techniques to form representations of complex organisms. She graduated from Colorado Mesa University (Grand Junction) in 2021 with a BFA in studio art and a focus on ceramics.
Jessica Hernandez was awarded the Anonymous Artist Studio Fellowship in 2024.
Hannah Kautto was born and raised in Rochester, MN. Kautto’s work navigates the dialogue between objects and the power they have for interpretation through exploration of the utility of objects and questioning their purpose. She received an Associate of Fine Arts degree from Rochester Community and Technical College (MN) in 2015. After graduation, she moved to Minneapolis, where she spent two years working in a ceramic production studio and in 2018, moved to Missoula, MT. Kautto was a summer resident at the Clay Studio of Missoula in 2023 and in 2024, was awarded a BFA in ceramics from the University of Montana (Missoula).
Hannah Kautto was awarded the Anonymous Artist Studio Fellowship in 2024.
2025 Pottery Museum of Red Wing Award Recipient
The Pottery Museum of Red Wing Award is presented to one maker in the local ceramics community as selected through a nominative process. Supporting their development and highlighting their achievements, this award aims to elevate the recognition of each recipient within the ceramics community. The Pottery Museum of Red Wing Award is made possible by the Red Wing Collectors Society Foundation, and is presented by Northern Clay Center to a deserving individual pursuing a career in pottery, or studying or researching the historical aspects of the pottery industry. The Foundation endeavors to broaden appreciation of pottery—past and present—or the general public and maintains the Red Wing Pottery Museum in Red Wing, Minnesota. Northern Clay Center has awarded this grant on behalf of the Foundation since 2004.
Anastasia Speer was raised in the Twin Cities by a family of art appreciators. Her journey in clay began in high school, where she took every ceramics class offered, and went on to earn her BFA from the University of South Dakota (Vermillion) where her interests in glaze chemistry and atmospheric firing practices flourished. After graduating with her M.Ed from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis), she worked as a production potter before pursuing her own career in ceramic arts. Anastasia specializes in functional pottery that sparks visual, tactile, and emotional connection. Her use of familiar motifs alongside interesting textures helps to create a more immersive experience for those who interact with her work. Her work has been featured in galleries across the US, and she strives to continue a studio practice in which she can share her passion for clay with others.
Anastasia Speer was awarded the Pottery Museum of Red Wing Award in 2025.
Related Event
Early Career Artist Grant Recipient Presentations
Join us for presentations by these 3 emerging artists.
Friday, January 16, 4 – 6 pm CT
FREE, NCC Library