Clay Lounge Teachers
Each of our teachers bring a unique lens for our students to consider in their work with experienced ranging from a advanced degree in ceramics, learned experience making their own work, or a background in a professional studio. All of our teachers share a passion for the craft and are eager to share their knowledge with new and experienced students alike.
Jesse Golden
Teacher, Artist, Owner
Jesse, the artist behind J.G Clay, opened Clay Lounge in 2020 looking to build a community over the joy and beauty of making pottery.
Jesse has been a student of the craft for over a decade. In 2019 he was living in Los Angeles and tired of working a corporate career while moonlighting as a potter. He decided to leave his job and coordinate a 5 month ‘Ceramic Sabbatical’ across Asia where he participated in artist residencies, studio visits, and home stays throughout China, Taiwan, S. Korea, and Japan.
Returning to his home city of Boston, Jesse sought to coalesce these styles to help inspire others with his art.
Kaila Braley
Studio Manager, Teacher, Artist
Kaila has been making functional pottery for the last seven years. She has taught wheel-throwing at Fuller Craft Museum and loves introducing people to the joy of making pots. There's nothing quite like the excitement of throwing a piece that makes you proud.
Kaila is drawn to pottery because she loves the idea that you can make objects that add a bit of magic, whimsy, beauty, and human connection to an ordinary activity such as making a cup of coffee.
Dani D'Aversa
Teacher, Artist
Dani D'Aversa comes with a strong wheel throwing background. She found ceramics during the last few semesters at Roger Williams University and instantly fell in love. Taking a chance, her pandemic-pass-time was constructing her very own pottery studio.
Having studied Psychology and Visual Arts in college, Danielle is fascinated with the healing and meditative aspects of clay. She has a focus on process-driven creation, resulting in an eclectic style, drawing inspiration mainly from her natural surroundings.
Mostly self taught, Danielle has continued learning through mentorship’s and has been making and selling pottery since 2020 in the Boston area.
Caitlyn Chwatek
Teacher, Artist
Caitlyn Chwatek was born and raised in New Jersey before moving to Boston where she recently graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She completed a BFA in both Painting and Ceramics.
Her paintings are primarily genre scenes done in oil, while her ceramic work is comprised of functional vessels. Her studio practice is mainly inspired by history, current events, and psychology.
Sarah Mennell
Teacher, Artist
After taking her first pottery class in college, Sarah was completely hooked and sought out every opportunity to study ceramics. After a few years away from a pottery studio, found her way to Clay Lounge when she moved to Boston in 2021.
Sarah’s work reflects the joy she finds in pottery and she loves the way something as simple as a mug can bring such bright energy into everyday routines.
She is beyond happy to be teaching at Clay Lounge and loves having the opportunity to introduce others to clay and the excitement of making pottery.
Benjamin Provo
Teacher, Artist
A native of California and long time New Yorker, Benjamin is a self-taught artist working in ceramics, painting, and mixed media. He began exploring with clay ten years ago as an extension of his painting practice, but it quickly took prominence in his life and work.
Benjamin’s ceramics bridge the deep past to the present moment, employing the forms of ancient vessels as an armature for modern modes of abstract mark making. Informed by a close study of archaic Greek and Judaic pottery, his vessel forms combine the deep-time familiarity of archeological objects with the ephemeral jolt of the expressionistic gesture, rooted always in the places that inspire him most: the Southwest, the Mediterranean, and the urban landscapes of American cities.
Benjamin is thrilled to be a part of the teaching team a Clay Lounge, offering his skills and techniques to beginner and advanced students alike.
