‘You deserve your flowers,’ a group ceramics exhibition at Women’s Studio Workshop

Women’s Studio Workshop presents, “You deserve your flowers,” a group ceramics exhibition curated by Lena Chin on exhibit, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday through Sept. 19, at Women’s Studio Workshop, 722 Binnewater Lane, Rosendale. The exhibition features the contemporary ceramics work of Laura Caroline Casas, Isissa Komada-John, S.Lantz, Vanna Ramirez, Sam Shamard, Viv Siqueiros, and Alexis Tellefsen, a group of emerging artists of color exploring themes of identity and healing. The work included in YDYF illuminates that healing comes in many ways through spirituality, action, listening, and engaging with complexity. Acknowledging the labor that goes into healing, confronting hardship, uncertainty, and melancholy is only an aspect of their journey; these artists embrace their authenticity and honor their communities. This show celebrates those who use their practices to process, find their voices, and uplift themselves and their communities. Trade anxiety for creativity during this time of immense social-political violence against people of color, women, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ communities. This exhibition rejoices the catalyzing nature of these artists, whose works deserve “flowers” for their vulnerability and bravery.

Chin is a first-generation Ecuadorian-Chinese artist and curator. She holds a BFA in Ceramics from SUNY New Paltz and is pursuing an MA in Museum Studies. In 2025, she was awarded the Helene Zucker Seeman Curatorial, Research, and Critical Writing Fellowship for Women by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), recognizing her innovative approach to bridging art, community, and critical theory. For more, visit lenalaiceramics.com. Casas is a potter and illustrator from Columbia, NC. She graduated from Western Carolina University in 2018 with a BFA in Studio Art. She was the 2019 Women's Studio Workshop Chili Bowl Intern. She is the Clay Studio Coordinator at the Pullen Arts Center in Raleigh, NC. Visit lauracarolinecasas.com. Komada-John is a mixed, Afro-Caribbean artist and designer, raised in Brooklyn and Queens. She enjoys practices that support presence and healing and has been a student of Buddhism for over ten years. She currently makes art and home on unceded Cherokee land in the mountains of Western North Carolina. For more, visit isissakomadajohn.com. Lantz is an artist primarily working in ceramics, pursuing an MFA in Ceramics at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and the Administrator for The Color Network. Lanz graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington, Seattle. Visit augustlantz.com for more. Ramirez is a Baltimore-based artist working in clay, exploring the intersections of sculptural and functional ceramics. She holds a BS in Studio Art from Skidmore College and has expanded her practice through the Special Student Program at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, workshops at Penland School of Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and NCECA’s Multicultural Fellowship. For more, visit vannaramirez.com. Shamard is a mixed Mexican American artist from Austin, Texas. She received her MFA at Clemson University, in Clemson, South Carolina, and her BFA in Art Education at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. She is a faculty and Art Education Program Coordinator at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. Visit samshamard.com for more. Currently residing as a guest on Nisenan Land, commonly known as Sacramento, Siqueiros has found grounding in reconnection to earth and body through communal farming. Instagram is @viv.ceramics. As a production potter and designer of functional wares, the majority of Tellefsen’s studio time is spent making work that is meant to be used. “I believe that daily objects can and should be beautiful. And whenever possible, they should bring joy,” she said. Visit tellefsenatelier.com.

For more information, visit wsworkshop.org or call 845-658-9133.

photo caption

Ceramic artist and curator of “You deserve your flowers,” Lena Chin.