THE Mentorship Program

The APA Mentorship Program involves ceramic artists working together in a formal, peer-learning framework, with experienced artists mentoring evolving artists. The protégé’s goals lead the pair’s direction. Mentors are seasoned professionals who provide personalized and regular support, training, advice, encouragement, and feedback. The program is for APA members and operates through the APA.

The Mentorship Program does not take the place of education through formal educational institutions or artist-run workshops but augments the learning process for emerging artists. The Mentorship Program also is not an internship program for academic credit or where evolving artists would work for the mentor. A mentor offers their knowledge, expertise, and advice to those with less experience. By leveraging their knowledge and skills, mentors guide protégés in the right direction. A mentor helps protégés consider opportunities for artistic growth, gain confidence, and base their support on their own experiences and learnings.

WHAT IS MENTORING?

Specifically, a mentor helps protégés explore their skill, technique, career options, set development goals, develop new contacts, and identify resources. Mentoring focuses on applying knowledge in practice. Many highly qualified teachers in the ceramic arts community enjoy the process of helping others grow. In turn, students greatly benefit from formal mentorship programs to augment their learning in school, workshops, and sessions to learn specific ceramic art techniques.

HOW TO APPLY.

To read more about the program, open, download and read this PDF document: APA Mentorship Program PDF

We are now accepting mentor applications. Please click here to apply. The APA will contact you shortly after receiving your application.

We are now accepting Protégé applications. Please click here to apply. The APA will contact you shortly after receiving your application.

Current Mentors

Callie Diesel

Diesel Clay pottery is made with a richly coloured red stoneware that is layered with visual textures and lively colours for a sophisticated, yet approachable look.
Strong and sturdy, handsome yet poised, these pieces will add the perfect touch of unique personality to your table, or make gifting effortless!

julie vincent

Julie’s first experience with pottery was February 2017, when she took a class with her daughter for what she though would be a two-month run. In the ensuing years, she developed a deep enjoyment for wheel throwing, experimenting with new forms, creative structures, embellishments, and marvelling at the fiascos of such ambition, and for the pottery community in the city.

In May 2024, the opportunity to open a studio in an existing studio space fell “from the sky.” With the encouragement of Calgary’s influential master potter, Dave Settles, whose studio occupied the space for many years, and with exhibiting artist, Ashley Morrow, Centred Clay Studios began to take shape. The Studio launched October 1st 2024 and is growing apace.

As an instructor, Julie strives to help students to developing core skills and confidence, throwing foundational forms, and encouraging students to make wonders out of “failures.” Julie’s almost nine years at Fairview studios has been foundational to her love of pottery and ceramics, as have been the cherished relationships with the talented and inspiring potters at that studio.

Julie is on a “mission” in 2025 to expand her ceramic practice incorporating new surface design techniques, altered forms, and experimental work incorporating metals and glass. She is developing a majolica, and a Mishima practice, and has returned to experimenting with carved surfaces and sgraffito.

Julie is a professional photographer and exhibiting artist, and social media geek. She is excited to bring the results of her studies and exploration to the studio and hopes to help students expand the creative and experimental side of their practices.

Teresa Wyss

Teresa Wyss is a small-batch potter working out of her home studio to create functional art ceramics. She works in a porcelain stoneware clay body, decorating her pieces using the sgraffito technique, hand carving designs into a slip-covered surface. Pairing a black slip with her brightly coloured glazes, Teresa’s work is redolent of rustic woodcut prints. Her designs are inspired by wildlife, the Canadian landscape, and the vivid colours of nature.

Born in Cornwall, Ontario, Teresa now lives in Calgary to be closer to the mountains. Teresa received her Bachelor’s Degree in Geography at the University of Guelph and has taken ceramics courses at Medalta, in Medicine Hat and The Glebe, in Ontario.

Darlene Swan

Darlene Swan was born, raised and educated in Calgary and aside from a two-year period of living in Germany, she has spent most of her time in this community. She received a Bachelor of Physical Education and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Calgary.

Now in retirement from teaching school she has become an active member in the Calgary arts community, where she works in collaborative settings with other artists, especially clay artists. She works in her own studio in Calgary.

Darlene has been creating pottery for more than 30 years and her high level of skill has been acknowledged by the Alberta Foundations for the Arts, which recently added one of her pieces to its permanent collection.

Ashley Morrow

I began my clay journey at Mount Royal College around 1993 or 1994. I was a biology student and needed a non science / creative outlet and enrolled in a campus rec pottery class taught by Susan Thorpe. In 1995 I transferred to UNBC in Prince George, BC to finish up my bachelor’s degree where I majored in wildlife biology, but I had to put the clay on hold and did not touch it for another 6 years.

When I eventually returned to clay, it was 2001 and I enrolled as a student at Fairview Studios, and I have been throwing pots there ever since. I began teaching wheel throwing at Fairview Studios approximately 13 years ago and have been doing so ever since.

My education in clay has been essentially self directed and is continually ongoing. Aside from reading everything I could get my hands on, scouring the internet for as much information as possible, and watching every throwing video on YouTube, I have travelled all over the place to learn new techniques and to help develop the skills I already have. I have been as far as Ireland to salt fire with Marcus O’Mahoney, and have been to workshops as close to home as Red Deer and Medicine Hat and have had some amazing teachers along the way. I even began working at Ceramics Canada in Calgary approximately 13 years ago with the thought that it would allow me to surround myself with even more people in the clay community that I could learn from.