Our Story
The Wedge Ceramics Studio was started in September 2011 by Sutter and Samantha Stremmel. Moving back to Reno after graduating from Montana State University, they bemoaned the fact there was no place to play with clay unless you were currently institutionalized in school or classes.
Over a decade later, we have become an institution ourselves. We are an ever growing, always dynamic, entropic studio in a 5000 sq. ft. industrial warehouse turned ceramics studio. Sam and Sutter now work together to operate their respective, neighboring businesses, the Wedge and Sierra Water, an indoor plant shop next door in the warehouse at 2055 Dickerson Rd. We are excited to be a part of Dickerson Road's family of artists.
Our Instructors
Jacy Robinson is our Studio Manager. Jacy teaches a variety of classes here at The Wedge, including the Tuesday beginner wheel class, as well as intermediate classes. His knowledge of ceramics is next level, and he has a great way of communicating and explaining the process to beginners, as well has helping veteran “Wedgies” with more technical question. He is at the studio during week days, serving as a reliable studio DJ.
Sutter has been making pots off and on since he was a little kid, but more regularly since opening the studio. What he lacks in pedagogical efficiency and artistic ability, he makes up for with unbridled enthusiasm and encouragement. He enjoys teaching all classes, but Valentine’s Day Muddy Love is his specialty. He also enjoys working with various groups who wouldn’t ordinarily get a chance to come into a pottery studio, and he is a Boy Scout merit badge counselor for ceramics, among other merit badges.
Korey Jackson contains multitudes, and that’s what she does around the studio…everything. You’ll usually find her in the studio on the weekends, teaching private lessons, mixing glazes, upside down in a kiln, or helping others accomplish their ceramic goals. She’s funny and always the life of the party, creating the welcoming and friendly vibe that makes the Wedge a wonderful studio to work in. Her meticulous surface decoration and underglaze application, often informed by vintage tattoo designs and her background as a classically trained rebel, is a constant source of inspiration around the Wedge. Check out her website, www.kreepyclayceramics.com
Denali is our effervescent lead studio technician. Her background in chemistry and attention to detail when loading kilns make her an expert in glazing, while her career as a biologist and anarchist are reflected in her art work. Denali teaches the Thursday wheel throwing classes, glazing and glaze making classes, as well as private lessons. A perennial autodidact, she loves to learn, and her favorite way to learn is to teach.
Alicia started at as a member at the Wedge in 2018, and took a brief hiatus to travel the world and finish her degrees. She has worked on regenerative farms in Malaysia and trekked through Tibet, and everywhere in between, but always finds a way to make it back to the the Wedge. She teaches classes on Thursday, as well as private lessons, and keeps the studio running smoothly and efficiently. While many ceramic artists work within their niche, Alicia isn’t a specialist; her interest and inquisitiveness in all things, fueled by her good naturedness, passion for travel and degrees in Philosophy and Bioagricultural Sciences, allow her to use tools from a well equipped box and tricks from a full bag to teach everyone from kids giving it their first go to seasoned ceramicists learning something new.
Mike Hilker joined the Wedge in 2022, and the studio hasn’t been the same since. Mike teaches our hand building classes, where is whimsical and curious nature illicit creativity even in the most uninspired. Prior to entering the nirvana that is retirement where he could focus on that which brought him full time joy, Mike Hilker put his BFA in Communication Arts and Design towards advising other retirees as the Senior Creative Director for AARP heading their corporate branding and internal creative communication team.
Mike has been a clay maker since 1992 and works with hand built and thrown forms. He was part of the Art League School and Gallery at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria VA, as well as the Lee Arts Center in Arlington, VA. His work focuses on painting and textures with an emphasis on storytelling as well as sculpture and function. Locally, he has shown his work at The Wedge and the Nevada Fine Arts Gallery. You can view his work at www.mikerhilker.com and follow him on instagram.com/mikerhilker