South St. Louis Pottery Studio

Sarah Rye Bliss she/her/hers
sarah@southbroadwayartproject.org
Sarah is one of the co-founders of SBAP and has been involved since the very beginning in 2007. Sarah has been working as an artist and art educator for over 20 years. Serving as the Executive Director, Sarah splits her time between administrative duties related to mission, and vision, as well as daily operations which involve lead instruction for Pottery and Teen Mentorship. Sarah has a bachelor of fine arts in Studio Art with an emphasis in Ceramics and Secondary Art Education from Webster University, and is currently a graduate student in Art History and Visual Culture at Lindenwood University. 

Tim Bliss he/him/his

tim@southbroadwayartproject.org

Tim has a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with a concentration in Sculpture from Webster University. Tim is one of the co-founders of SBAP and has played an integral role in bringing our mission and vision to life in the role as studio manager and facilities director. Tim has been working for over 20 years as a sculptor, carpenter, and project manager. Tim's role at SBAP encompasses everything from managing daily studio operations, kiln technician, facility improvements and custom installations. Tim is a resident of Marine Villa and is actively involved in neighborhood beautification and gardening.

Jamie Lee Harris

Jamie is an African American artist from Notasulga, Alabama who received her BA in 

art from Alabama State University, a historical black university located in the heart of 

Montgomery, Alabama. Her practice shines a focus on the African American diaspora that 

contextualizes lost and forgotten histories of Black rural America. Harris’ mediums include the 

use of oil paint, to account for visual narratives of historical reverence and familiarity in 

juxtaposition to sculptural and utilitarian use of clay ceramics often attributed to craft. Her main 

influences are taken from the likes of the Edgefield Potters of South Carolina, Josiah Wedgwood, 

Kerry James Marshall, Faith Ringgold, Amy Sherald, and a plethora of portrait artist spanning 

from the 1600s to now.

Harris was a 2022 recipient of the National Black Arts Foundation’s Horizon Award for visual 

arts and a Sam Fox Graduate Fellow Ambassador. She has participated in host of  group shows in 

the metro Atlanta, Georgia, Montgomery artist guild, and the Montgomery Museum of Art. She 

currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri after completing her MFA at Washington University in 

St. Louis.

Luna Schnerlia

An UMSL alumni who graduated with a BFA's in Art Education and a minor in Art History. Luna specializes in oil painting, ceramics, and sewing. She also has a special interest in surrealism and horror art. Luna has experience working as an Elementary Art Teacher as well as working as a  High School Special Needs instructor. Luna's methodology and approach to art education is strongly rooted in the belief of making art accessible for students of all levels, and abilities and always finds a way to make customized accommodations for students with extra special physical or cognitive challenges. 

Paul Sanchez

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Paul grew up with a love for the ocean, wildlife, and somehow pottery as well. he was fortunate to have an incredible ceramics teacher in high school named Mike Helle who was not only a role model and mentor, but also an incredible potter. He taught us how to raku, soda fire,and got us access to wood firings at the historic east creek site in willamina Oregon. Paul then went to college at Northern Arizona university where he  graduated in health science. While he  was there he participated in a few wood firings along side their ceramics program. After graduating Paul  joined the United States coast guard, and am currently stationed here in St. Louis!

Ashley Nelson-Parrish

Through years of teaching in non-profits in the Saint Louis area, Ashley found herself bridging her love of pottery with a non-profit education flare. “I focus on sparking the creative mindset through play, while offering words of encouragement and meeting my students where they are on their ceramic journey. I am passionate about sharing my love of the arts by creating connections with people and sharing my craft.” Ashley currently resides in University City MO with her husband and their three children. She holds a BFA in Arts Management with an emphasis in Ceramics and a MA in Museum Studies focusing on non-profit education with 9 years of experience teaching ceramics. She enjoys yoga, paddleboarding, hiking, reading and being a foodie.

Eyan Mullett he/ his/him

Eyan has been working and teaching at South Broadway Art Project since 2013. Eyan works as a resident artist at SBAP, focusing on merging functional and sculptural forms to emphasize unexpected interpretations of traditional forms. Eyan has a BFA in sculpture from Southwest Missouri State University and a lifelong passion and love for ceramics since childhood. Eyan recently completed residency work at a Ceramics Studio in Colorado, bringing a wealth of knowledge about clay, wheel, slab, molds, and sculpture.

Sarah Georg she/her

Sarah (she/her) has been creating ceramics since 2011. She picked up the art first as a hobby, then quickly realized that she had a passion for creating and teaching. Sarah has no formal training in the arts, but is constantly exploring new forms in which to create. In all of her different areas of practice, it has become clear that her two main interests are: make it functional, or make it miniature. Of course, if she can do both, that’s the sweet spot. You can follow her on Instagram @whistlingcowcrafts, and purchase her work at South Broadway Art Project or Virtuoso Collective. 

Allison Sissom she/her/hers

 Artist and educator from St. Louis, Missouri. Her work is informed by memory, emotion, and her experiences as an educator. Sissom works in multiple media disciplines including collage, fiber, painting, ceramics, and zine-making.

Sissom’s background as an educator has been very influential in her artmaking journey. She prioritizes the importance of representation and reflection in lived experiences, the necessity of choices and self-direction, and perhaps most importantly, ownership of the learner over their learning. She earned her Master of Arts in Education, Visual Arts from Truman State University in 2013 and has worked in public schools in Austin, Texas, and as an art teacher in St. Louis Public Schools. Most recently, Sissom has pivoted to work for the tech education non-profit, LaunchCode.

Erin  Higgins 

Her passion for the ceramic arts started in my early years of art history classes. Erin was fascinated by marble sculptures, more specifically, figure sculptures. The softness and emotion that could be brought out of such a solid material was a mystery she had to solve. Every wrinkle, divot, and crease in all figure sculptures are vital features in telling a visual story, and capturing the essence of what would have been just a solid block. With every new face is a whole new personality waiting for the right details to give it life. 

Hilary Sedovic she/her/hers 

Born and raised St. Louisan who joined the SBAP community in the summer of 2022 while in the midst of reconnecting with creativity and play. She found that pottery enabled her to turn down her [typically overactive] thinking brain and tune in to feel and flow; she's been obsessed ever since. 

With most of her practice focused on creating various tableware, Hilary attributes her fascination to:

1) her strong enjoyment of eating food + the communal experiences around it; and

2) her late serial restaurateur grandfather, who (to her younger self's embarrassment) would often openly examine silverware and the undersides of dishes in restaurants to try to determine their maker.

At the studio, you can often find her geeking out about glaze combos, organizing member shelves, or reminding herself that pottery requires patience.

ARTIST STATEMENT

The primary outputs of my practice are accessible, functional pieces that strive to meet and celebrate the beauty of both the present moment and those ahead. I often lean toward making simple forms made more expressive by their glaze pairing, occasionally using various carving techniques to emphasize the character of the glaze. 

SOCIAL MEDIA
IG: @pragmaticidealist_pottery