Andy holds a BFA in graphic design from Minnesota State University Moorhead. He began making pottery at the age of 17 and has melded his two passions into a style that emphasizes form, shape, texture and pattern. He is currently experimenting with raku firing, a process in which work is removed from the kiln red hot and subjected to post-firing reduction (or smoking) by being placed in containers of combustible materials which blackens raw clay and causes crazing/cracking in the glaze surface.

Ernest Miller earned a B.A. in Three-Dimensional Studio Art from Eastern Illinois University, Carleston, IL. A ceramicist and sculptor, he has extensive experience teaching adults and children in Minnesota and Illinois. An exhibitor and award winner in many juried shows, his work is widely collected.

Francis studied ceramics at the University of Minnesota where he graduated with BAs in studio art and global studies. His ceramics pull inspiration from minimalist tendencies in creating functionality for everyday use. He currently works out of his studio in the Holland Arts building located in NE Minneapolis after founding Sandwich Ceramic in 2017. Francis also teaches at The Workshop in South Minneapolis and is a sales representative for Continental Clay.

Jamie Parrish is a ceramic artist based in the Twin Cities. In 1995, she fell in love with wheel throwing after her first high school pottery class. Life pulled her in another direction, but she never forgot the feeling of being connected to the earth through clay. In 2016 her hiatus ended with the first of many community education classes. Jamie graduated from the MN Nice Program, an advanced certificate program at the Northern Clay Center in the fall of 2019.

Judy Anderson began making pottery in 1977. She attended the University of Minnesota where she received her B.A. in Studio Arts with an emphasis in ceramics in 2006. She has been a member of Fired Up Studios since 1998. She began teaching at Fired Up Studios in August, 2008.

During his time in university, Michael Vangstad stumbled into the world of pottery almost by accident. He was born and raised in Ham Lake, Minnesota, and pursued degrees in history and social studies education at Bethel University in St. Paul. Needing to fulfill an art elective, Ceramics 101 seemed like as good a choice as any, and so his foray into pottery began. Due in equal parts to the surrounding influences of his teacher Kirk Freeman and his pottery peers, Michael developed a passion for clay and quickly discovered he had been missing out on the Midwest U.S. pottery scene in which he grew up. Since then, Michael has pursued pottery as an art form, a hobby, and a job. He primarily works with high-fire stoneware clays and attempts to emphasize the raw, natural look of clay as it is thrown on the wheel.

Molly Uravitch received her MFA in Ceramics from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and BFA from College for Creative Studies Center for Art and Design in Detroit. She currently is a Professor at the University Wisconsin Stout.

Ralph Nuara began making pottery while attending Rhode Island School of Design where he received a BFA in Textiles in 2003. He continued his pottery practice while working in NYC as a designer and buyer in the textiles and home furnishings industry. After three years of designing full time he decided to dedicate more time to hands-on making in the studio. Before relocating to Minneapolis in 2008 he has moved about studying and making pottery at studios in RI, NY, and IL. He is continually exploring the relationships between function, form, and surface to keep his pieces fresh and his time in the studio challenging. He draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources ranging from traditional Japanese folk pottery and textiles to Abstract Expressionist painting. He makes pieces with the intention that they be used regularly and strongly feels that a broken pot has fulfilled its role better than one which has never been used.