We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sheridan Cudworth. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sheridan below.
Hi Sheridan, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
If you had asked me in 2011 if I was going to become a Potter, I would have scoffed. I couldn’t have been further from the medium. At that time I was on track to becoming a professional makeup artist and nightlife host. Looking back I see so many hints that pottery was for me. I had a friend growing up whose dad was a potter. I still have a tiny vase he made, I have always cherished it. In many ways, I still wonder how I separated so far from the medium when I got older. What I feel most proud of in terms of my work is the persistence and soul-searching it took to arrive here. There were so many jobs and identities at so many different points in my life I tried thinking it would solve everything. I kept listening to myself and was not afraid to throw off all preconceived notions of who I thought I needed to be. It was and is hard and embarrassing, but I know inauthenticity is way more painful for me. Am I where I want to be as an artist, not yet. There are countless days when I feel ‘late’ to my arrival within the ceramics world, but I still show up every day because it literally gives me butterflies.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I earned my BFA in Sculpture from Maine College of Art in 2011. While at MECA, I focused primarily on performance art while performing at events within the local LGBTQ+ club culture. I started my ceramics practice 10 years ago but elevated my skillset immensely when I was awarded a grant to pursue a formal apprenticeship with Eliane X. Fuller in 2021. Being selected for this grant program was an amazing catalyst for taking myself more seriously. I immediately felt like I had a greater sense of direction within my creative practice. The duration of our apprenticeship focused on pit-fired works which I still hold as my firing preference. Originally, Elaine wanted to teach me pit-firing so that I could fire anywhere without a kiln. I find it intersects with my performative sensibilities. I find ritual within the site preparation, the gathering of materials, and the firing process.
Since my apprenticeship concluded, I have gained more access to different studio spaces and found new techniques within pit firing that feel self-curated as I have been able to pick methods from different potters and adapt them to my own needs. In the past three years, I have created a shared studio with my wife, Jade Ruscio called Shade Studio to sell our ceramic work via local makers’ markets. I began teaching at Sanctuary Arts, where I learned high-fire glaze formulation and gas reduction firing. In the Summer of 2023, I transitioned to teaching at Chases Garage, offering two wheel-throwing sections. Finally, I feel immersed in this craft. I constantly surround myself with people who know way more than me. It’s so intimidating but I work well under pressure and think of myself of a grateful little sponge. I plan to never stop learning.
Currently, I am focused on creating a large body of pit-fired work that will serve as narrative forms to reinterpret my performative nature with these works.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative for me is community and the intersection of different types of creatives. I get a huge amount of joy and passion from music, theater, drag, and performance art as I have such admiration for different types of expression. More personally, I feel the ceramics community is the most welcoming, unpretentious space. I have gained an immense amount of knowledge from those eager to share out of love for the medium. I feel we all look out for each other and support each other’s growth. In a world where spaces can be hyper-competitive, I am so grateful to be in a community with so many passionate and talented potters.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Something I have always been motivated by, even before finding pottery has been to cultivate community. I have always found ways to be part of organizing events that bring people together whether through queer dance parties, burlesque shows, herb walks, pottery tours, or creating a fun welcoming space at establishments I bartend. I feel so passionately about maintaining a place for people to gather, be themselves, feel safe, and maybe try something new. I someday hope to run some sort of space where people can find like-minded communities and avant-garde arts programming.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Photos by Jade Ruscio, Eliane X. Fuller, Hilary Rousselle