Midwest Ceramics for Stylish Decor

Jen Fontanella of Overland Park, Kansas, makes both jewelry and ceramics, including air planters ($14 to $26 each, etsy.com). "I like to think that I make happy pieces!" she says on her website. "Minimalist design, clean lines, and playful colors characterize my non-traditional functional work. Everything is made by hand, in small batches; because to me, molds take the romance out of art." 

Joanna Buyert of Fringe and Fettle Ceramics in St. Paul, Minnesota, crafts batter bowls, berry bowls, creamers, vases, nesting bowls, trays, pitchers and more. "I love the challenge of trying to make something beautiful but also works really well," she writes on her website. "My pots are meant to be used and well loved. I make bowls to be your favorite bowl because it fits the curve of your palm like no other. Grooves for nice grip and clean edges for good pouring." See what she currently has for sale at her Etsy shop.

Sarah Petit uses a pinch technique to give her planters and vases, such as this narrow white ceramic vase, a bumpy texture. She works out of Atelier Petit Ceramics in Detroit and sells online through Etsy. 

Pinch dishes from Kaitlyn and Ryan Lawless come in four color styles and are designed to be small (3.25 inches by .75 inch), versatile catch-alls ($15 each, corbecompany.com). The Detroit couple behind Corbé use computers to design prototypes for their handcrafted pieces. 

Michele Dupras' large hanging planter comes in a hand-carved geometric or smooth finish with jute or cotton cord ($85, revisionsdesignstudio.com). Target, West Elm and many indie shops have featured work from this Marquette, Michigan, artist. 

Dubhe Carreño of Northbrook, Illinois, describes the organic lines of her pieces as "intentionally irregular." Find out more about her work at thisquietdustceramics.com.

Our May/June 2018 issue featured more work by Midwest ceramicists, including the pieces at left. For the online version of this story, click here.