Meet our New Kiln Czar, Barbara Flathers

I want to take a minute to introduce you to Barb who joined the team a month ago as our new Kiln Czar. In addition to firing the kiln and ensuring the clay studio is sparkling, Barb has been sharing her expertise and guidance as an instructor for our adult Intro to Wheel classes. As two sections of Intro to Wheel come to an end, it is obvious that Barb has great skill in translating her knowledge in clay and imparting that skill in her students. I am stunned and awed by the beautiful pieces that have emerged from her classes. Welcome aboard and bravo!


Interested in getting into a clay class but notice that they always seem full?

Email info@riverartsvt.org to get onto our rolling waitlist.
We will be booking new wheel-throwing sections soon!


Meet Barb!

Barbara Flathers has been in love with ceramics since, as a young Girl Scout, she first saw a potter's wheel being used at Old Sturbridge Village, near to where she grew up in Western Massachusetts. She dabbled with ceramics during her high school years and also at her time at Holyoke Community College.

Barb attended Massachusetts College of Art where she studied ceramics with Ben Ryterband, John Baymore, and Jana Longacre. After graduating with a BFA in Ceramics, she spent several years restoring architectural terra cotta on buildings in and around Boston and other cities in New England. She then moved from Boston to Johnson, Vermont where she has lived, worked, and raised her family ever since. 

Barb received her MFA from Northern Vermont University where she focused on glaze design and functional wheel-thrown ceramics. You can find her currently kayaking around Lamoille county and making things with clay.

Lisa Wolfgang