We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Azzariti recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

In 2020, I was busy working in the small handbuilding yurt at Glen Echo Pottery, when an episode of Red Clay Rambler podcast caught my attention–it was an interview with Ursula Hargens and her students about a program she founded in collaboration with the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis–the Minnesota New Institute for Ceramic Education (MN NICE). Hargens created the certificate program which “respond[s] to the changing needs of students and provides high-level training in ceramic materials, history and theory, and professional practices. Through instruction and individual mentorship, participants build the skills, knowledge, and insight necessary to create a personal and cohesive body of work.” Listening to the interview, I felt like the program was designed just for me-I thought to myself “I would love to do that.” But I had a full-time job in early childhood education, a husband and family, and so I tucked the idea away–impossible.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. As soon as I heard rumor of a lockdown, I went out and bought 500 lbs of clay and set up a table on my front porch. I loved the time I got to spend with clay, and though I worked at my other job, for the first time ever I had a consistent, daily, immersive studio practice–something I had only dreamed about, and I didn’t want it to end. I remembered the podcast, and checked in to the application process but the MN NICE program was on hold that year.

The following year, my father died after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s, and my childhood best friend also passed away. I felt, like many others did during this time, a motivation to pursue my dreams and make change. I had a YOLO mentality, and debunked every excuse I had about why I couldn’t do this program–leave my husband for a year? We could handle that. My children? They both left for college. Finances? The worst part, but my mom gave me the payout from a small insurance policy my father had, offsetting some of the loss of income. Leave my job? Tricky but hey, let’s see. I applied, was accepted, and my incredible preschool allowed me to take a sabbatical, I had no excuses left but fear.

In August 2022 I left for Minnesota, immersed myself in the culture, history and craft of ceramics. I had been very motivated at home, and sought out resources and inspiration, but I felt the need for uninterrupted time and guidance to further develop techniques and processes, amplify my personal aesthetic, push the conceptual boundaries of what I have been making, and develop a more cohesive body of work. I wanted to learn how to take control of the firing process, and gain enough knowledge to eventually have a studio and business of my own. The MN NICE program did that for me.

I returned to DC a year later, and within 6 weeks converted what had been our son’s blacksmithing workshop into a small ceramic studio. I became a licensed business in DC, held my first studio sale, and bought a kiln with the proceeds. I now work 3 days a week at school, and the rest of the week is dedicated to ceramics.

Jennifer, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My entire life, as far back as I can remember, has been about making. From early childhood on, I was encouraged and supported to take classes and workshops, and given the time and space to imagine and create. I remember the treasure trove of craft kits stored under my bed as a kid– sand art, macrame, embroidery, watercolors-you name it. I guess you could say I was a jack-of-all-trades until 2017 when I reconnected with clay in a handbuilding class at Glen Echo Pottery. I fell in love with the material–especially after using porcelain for the first time–but more than that, I found myself enjoying the research and constant learning ceramics demands. Fast forward to now–with my days divided between my one (>30 year) career as a Reggio-inspired early childhood atelierista and pedagogical director drawing heavily on my mixed-media, creative background, and my other as a ceramicist with a home studio in an alley in the middle of Washington, DC. I have what I would consider an ideal work-life balance because both careers are life-giving, and are inextricably mixed.

My studio is a place of research, where I encounter problems and ask questions, test and experiment. I like to complicate things for myself, and I take a lot of risks with my work–figuring things out is what keeps me interested and engaged in my practice. I concentrate on small-batch, one-of-a-kind pieces that transcend their function, and am currently focusing on items beyond tableware like mirrors and hooks. I am really concerned with craftsmanship, and I aim to put as much love, care, and skill into each piece as I can. There’s a paradox in my working style that I find interesting–I enjoy certain kinds of repetitive tasks like making sprigs (press-molded pieces of clay applied to surfaces), but I get bored duplicating items. Using sprigs allows me to fulfill an interest in the found object, layer histories, play with the concept of memory and invent new narratives. Drawing on my background of materials and languages, I incorporate other elements into my pieces like wire, or using paper and cloth for templates and construction techniques. Early on in the MN NICE program Hargens asked us to think about what we are contributing to the history and culture of ceramics. How are we influenced by what came before and what marks will we leave in the field? I have this in mind a lot as I work, knowing that I am tiny part of a long tradition,…and, to be honest, feeling a bit of imposter syndrome. If I had to answer this right now, I think I would say that my years of working with young children influences my point-of-view (and my work) and I try to bring forward the intimate world of childlike wonder and intelligence, inviting us to pause and find amusement in our own imagination.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I went for a post-bac at Maryland Institute College of Art, a (female) collage/installation instructor said to us “you can’t have a family and be an artist.” I know that comment would cause an uproar/walkout right now, and I wish I had the sense back then to respond differently. Instead I took it to heart, and established a strong, creative and stable career that I love, but I gave up on the idea of being a studio artist until now. In fact, until I returned from Minnesota, I never called myself an artist (that word is so loaded)! I think if I had believed more in myself and put the same energy into the studio and business end of an artist’s life as I did with education, I’d be okay. Luckily, there are more resources and support systems for artists in partnerships, or with children these days.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I don’t think most people see the work, practice, and ordinariness, of being “creative.” Making pots is “fun” and “relaxing” or “therapeutic.” Facing constant failure, taking risks, and a maintaining strong work ethic requires discipline and resilience, and it’s not all fun. Nor is creativity magic or exclusive. As Loris Malaguzzi, founder of the Reggio Approach said: “We do not consider creativity sacred, we do not consider it as extraordinary, but rather as likely to emerge from daily experience.” *

*(From Malaguzzi, L. (1998). History, ideas, and basic philosophy. In C. P. Edwards, L. Gandini,, & G. Forman (Eds). The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia Approach-Advanced reflections (2nded.;pp.49-97. Westport, CT: Ablex. )

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studioazzariti.com
• Instagram: @jen.azz
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/me/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-azzariti-b569408