On April 12, the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona announced that five new artists would join the museum’s artist in residence program in 2022 and 2023.

“The Artist in Residence program at the AMOCA Ceramics Studio provides time, space, and support for emerging, mid-career, and established artists to expand their creative work,” AMOCA’s Executive Director Beth Ann Gerstein said in a statement. “It is a vital part of the museum’s commitment to contemporary artistic practices, and a critical component of our effort to bring diverse and accomplished artistic voices to the City of Pomona.”

“New this year are shorter residency opportunities for artists commuting from Southern California locales, designed to encourage artistic exchange with artists visiting from other parts of the world,” the museum wrote in a statement.

In order of arrival, the artists joining include Amy Santoferraro of Pomona; Breana Ferreira of Denton, Texas; Christopher Suarez of Long Beach; Nick Vest of Jingdezhen, China; and Kim Tucker of Los Angeles.

Santoferraro, born in Akron, Ohio, received her MFA in ceramic art from The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University; she earned her BAE in Art Education and her BFA in ceramics from The Ohio State University. Santoferraro currently serves as trustee at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, Maine.

She has enjoyed past residencies at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Currently living in Pomona, Santoferraro will be in residence at AMOCA in May and August of 2022.

Ferreira, born in Riverside, California, is a first-generation student studying ceramics at the University of North Texas. Ferreira has been active in the competitive ceramics community, winning the grand prize at the 2020 and 2021 NCECA Skutt Student Competition, showing as a finalist in the ICAN 2nd Annual Holiday Cup Show, and competing in the 2022 Saltstone Ceramics Mug Madness competition. Her work has been featured at the 2021 Texas CAMEO Emerging Artist Show, at the 29th Strictly Functional Pottery National show, and in Ceramics Monthly magazine. Ferreira will be in residence at AMOCA from July 2022 to June 2023.

Suarez, born in Long Beach, California, received his BFA in ceramic arts from California State University, Long Beach, where he studied with Tony Marsh and Christopher Miles. Suarez has served as the Lead ArtsBridge Teacher at the California State University, Long Beach and as an Education Intern at The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. Suarez will be in residence at AMOCA between September and December of 2022.

Vest, born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, received his MFA from Kansas State University and his B.F.A. from Alfred University in New York. He has a been ceramic kiln technician and instructor of ceramics at Kansas State University and a lecturer at Jingdezhen Ceramic University. Currently living in Jingdezhen, Vest continues his artistic practice and runs MenLo with his wife, ceramic artist Zhou YuYe. Vest will be in residence at AMOCA between September 2022 and May 2023.

Tucker, born in Hollywood, California, holds a MFA in ceramics​ from Ohio State University, and a BFA in ceramics from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. Tucker’s ceramics have been reviewed in the Los Angeles Times, The Seattle Times, Artscene, Art Ltd., L.A. Weekly and on Los Angeles public radio station KCRW.

Tucker has previously held residencies at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson and at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles. Tucker, whose ceramics are already included in AMOCA’s permanent collection, will be in residence in January and April of 2023.

“On behalf of our partners, donors, members, staff, and our current artists-in-residence Kirsten Willders and Colby Charpentier, I’m thrilled to extend a warm welcome to the 2022–2023 cohort of ceramic artists,” Gerstein said in a statement.

The Artist in Residence program at the AMOCA Ceramics Studio is made possible with support from the Windgate Foundation, Julianne and David Armstrong, and the Laguna Clay and Glaze Company.

Launched in 2012, AMOCA’s Artist in Residence program is one of the few long-term fellowship opportunities for ceramic artists on the West Coast, according to the museum.

AMOCA is located at 399 N. Garey Ave. in Pomona. For more information about AMOCA and its artists, contact the museum at (909) 865-3146 or email info@amoca.org.

To read the full news release from AMOCA about its five new artists, visit amoca.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/PRESS-RELEASE-–-2022-2023-AMOCA-Artists-in-Residence.pdf.