residency program

Our residency program is designed to allow emerging and established artists the space to develop work in a supportive and creative environment, foster innovative teaching concepts, provide support for new and exciting workshop ideas, and give residents the ability to “test drive” different clay career possibilities.  The residency program at Queen City Clay is unique in that it emphasizes the development of the individual as part of a larger community in both the studio and in the greater tri-state area.  Our residents benefit from the connections we have made over many years with local universities other arts organizations, non-profits, and countless businesses.

At QCC, your time can feel like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book.  With a fun and lively staff, you decide the direction that you need to take, and we are right behind you to support and mentor you in either one specific area or across every facet (pottery humor) of the business.  

Qualified Resident Artists are accepted at both 1 year residencies and short term residencies (min. of 1 month, max. of 3 months)

You get a little bit of everything in the clay world at Queen City Clay:

  • teaching skills

  • artistic growth

  • professional development through our gallery

  • learning the business of clay through our retail shop and relationship with industry leaders

  • constructing new tools and techniques

  • interaction with all ages and professions

  • wood shop access

The Space

Our facility is a 50,000 square foot teaching studio, supply house, exhibition gallery, sales gallery, and workshop space.  We are equipped with:

  • 50 Brent wheels

  • multiple hand-building stations

  • 2 extruders

  • 3 slab rollers

  • 1 massive clay mixer, capable of mixing 300lbs

  • Soldner mixer

  • 3 pugmills

  • 22 house cone 10 glazes

  • 10 house cone 6 glazes 

  • 7 Skutt 1227 electric kilns

  • 1 36 cubic foot wood kiln

  • 1 20 cubic foot outdoor soda kiln

  • 2 outdoor raku kilns

  • A wood fired pizza oven

  • Space for pit firing

  • Space for kiln building is also available.

qualifications
  • You must be a ceramic artist, working either functionally or sculpturally.  The work may utilize other materials, but must be primarily ceramic.
  • knowledgeable of the routine workings of a clay studio, ie. loading and firing kilns, clay and glaze mixing, and regular studio upkeep.
  • able to work independently while taking advantage of the interactive ceramics community and available opportunities at QCC
  • energetic, responsible, and willing to work efficiently during the scheduled weekly work hours in the studio outside of your personal work time
  • must not be enrolled either full or part-time in school
  • must be at a level of accomplishment, commitment, and growth in one’s artistic endeavors
  • committed to fulfill the entire timeline of your residency obligation
responsibilites
  • continuous pursuit of creative work (min 20hrs/wk)
  • on average, 8hrs/wk of studio teaching/technical support, ie. studio upkeep, kiln loading and firing, maintenance of kilns and kiln shelves, record keeping, mixing glazes, gallery installation, mixing clay, workshop assistant, teaching assistant, and so forth
  • active participation in the studio community
  • requirement of teaching one class per session after the 2 month training period at the onset of your residency
  • donation of one piece of your body of work to the QCC collection
  • Year long residencies have a 30 day trial period and review.  After 6 months an evaluation meeting will be completed to continue with the remainder of the residency.
benefits
  • 24 hour access to the studio and facilities
  • private studio space equipped with wood shelving, table, plaster wedging board, and a wheel if needed
  • exhibition and sale space in the Gallery Shop
  • paid additional teaching opportunities beyond the one required class per session
  • immersion in a large creative community
  • opportunity to attend all QCC workshops at no charge
  • 20 percent discount on purchases
  • clay at cost
  • $50 monthly stipend
  • access to a fully stocked glaze kitchen
  • Nearby attractions include artists’ studios, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center, Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center, Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati Museum Center, and a large selection of local galleries and historic sites.
to apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

All applications should include:

  • current resume
  • artist statement
  • artist bio
  • A statement regarding what you wish to gain from this residency position; which area you would like to concntrat in- studio, education, gallery, or retail- and why; what you will bring to this resident position, what your short term plans as an artist are.
  • three references with contact information
  • an email with 10-20 digital images with a corresponding image list.  Digital images should be in JPEG format, 72dpi, with each file labeled with last name, first inital, and numbers indicating your preferred viewing order (ex: doej1.jpg)
  • Please have your name on the top of every document submitted.  
Click here to fill out the application and pay the $25 application fee.
Email all materials to Jon Stein, jstein@queencityclay.com

meet our

residents

Cori Crumrine graduated with a BFA from Bowling Green State University and earned her MFA from the University of Montana (2018), where she recognized her desire to pursue teaching. She currently teaches ceramics at Miami University and works as a resident artist and instructor at Queen City Clay. Her go-to studio tools are an x-acto knife, a metal rib, & watercolor brushes.
@coricrumrine

Holly Barrett completed a BFA with concentrations in Ceramics and Painting & Drawing at Ohio University in 2021, and since then has participated in the ASPN Residency at Red Lodge Clay Center and completed a Post-Bacc Residency at the Morean Center for Clay (via Western Michigan University). She also spent a summer as staff at the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts before joining Queen City Clay as a new Artist in Residence.
In Barrett’s own practice, wheel-thrown and ornamentally altered surfaces act as a canvas for her illustrations. Her body of work emphasizes themes of memory & story-telling, community, and perceived value.
@hollibell3

Lexy Schimpf is a visual artist focusing in sculptural ceramics. She received a Bachelor’s of Studio Art with a focus in ceramics and a minor in Geology from Bowling Green State University. Lexy’s work draws inspiration from the natural world throughout earth’s history. Lexy is a playful and thoughtful artist who combines her joy for color and fantasy into sculptures that showcase elements of nature into new exciting objects. As a ceramic artist, her interest in geology is a natural progression, rooted in a love of the history of the ceramic medium and an authentic appreciation for the innermost workings of the earth. Her artistic drive is centered in the hope of tying geology, biology, and fun into securing a future that protects, preserves, and respects natural spaces.
@lexyschimpf_studio