Instructor Highlight: Alanna DeRocchi
/Rain City Clay is lucky to be staffed by a group of dedicated ceramicists who work diligently to keep the studio running, who teach with passion and exuberance, and engage and build community through clay. In addition to all that they do at RCC, they also have their own clay practices, either at RCC or off-site, where they make their own work and grow their skills. Each month we will be featuring one of our fantastic staff members and their talents.
This month we are highlighting visiting instructor Alanna DeRocchi (she/her/they)! Alanna is teaching a 2-day sculptural still life workshop at RCC in December 2026. Learn more about the workshop!
Alanna’s Bio:
Alanna DeRocchi
Alanna DeRocchi is an Assistant Professor of Art in Ceramics at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Originally from Petersburg, Illinois, Alanna went on to receive a BFA from Western Illinois University in 2004, and an MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2010. Alanna’s recent work was included in the 2026 Gyeonggi Ceramics Biennale in Icheon, South Korea. She was the recipient of a 2022 Rasmuson Fellowship Award, a 2017 Rasmuson Individual Artist Project Award, and has participated in several ceramic artist residency programs, including the ClayArch Gimhae Museum Ceramic Arts Residency in Jilllye, South Korea, and the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, MT.
Get to know Alanna!
How long have you been working with clay?
I started taking ceramics classes in 2000. So I guess it’s been over 25 years! I finished my BA and BFA degrees at Western Illinois University between 2002 and 2004, did a Post-Baccalaureate study at California State University Long Beach from 2005-2008, and completed my MFA from the New York State School of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2010. After doing a few residencies in WI, MT and Korea, and a teaching stint in MI, in 2013 I moved to Anchorage, Alaska, where I now teach and work. I was able to work in many communal studios throughout my education and found working in these environments to be so inspiring and engaging because of the active creative energy always happening.
What are your inspirations / influences when making work?
I am very influenced by taxidermy, natural history museum displays, historical sculpture, and ruins. These objects and remnants of life provide me endless questions about memory, transformation, and preservation. I find using objects and animals as a subject matter in my work allow me to explore the human experience through metaphors and illusion.
What is your favorite part of the clay process?
My favorite part of the ceramic process is the handbuilding. The way I build with coils has always felt as if I was drawing in space, stacking one coil on top of another, creating volume and mass around my own body. I use a pretty wet clay body with a lot of grog so I can coil build quickly and use a torch to dry each layer as I go. This allows me to see the form come to life from the ground up.
Do you like to listen to music or podcasts in the studio? If so, do you have a playlist or favorite musician, or show you'd like to share?
I listen to music all the time in the studio! I was raised in a music-loving household and seeing live bands is one of my greatest joys. You’ll find me often listening to Built to Spill, Lou Reed, Neko Case, David Byrne, The Talking Heads, New Order, and the all-time fave — Seattle’s own — Pearl Jam, who I have seen at least 22 times in concert! :)
What do you like about teaching (whether at the university or traveling for workshops)?
The best part about teaching is getting to know what drives your students. No matter what their area of study, life experience, cultural heritage, or preferred medium, each student brings to the table a unique perspective that I have not encountered before. This always leads to so much excitement in seeing how they individually express themselves through clay. I find I learn so much from my students that helps further my teaching and my own artistic practice.
What valuable lessons have you learned along your artistic journey that you wish you knew when you first began?
A valuable lesson I learned in my career was to never stop working, to try everything I can to be able to continue making art. Make friends out of your studio mates and colleagues and you will always have support; you will always have a community in clay. I worked very hard to attain every opportunity I wanted and always told myself it could or would happen. For me personally, I had to sacrifice a lot to continue making art but I never doubted that I couldn’t do it. There were many times in my life that it was difficult maintaining a normal life this way, but I always managed to be consistent and dedicated to my practice. I feel very fortunate now to be able to work in a job I love teaching others and continuing to make sculpture.
If you could have a clay-making superpower, what would it be?
My clay-making superpower would be to make anything, any size I wanted, as large as I wanted, and it would automatically be fired! No kiln space too small, I would have a magic touch that would allow me limitless building! I would then probably need a friend whose super power is creating the largest free storage units, in that case.
What's next for Alanna? Shows? Markets? Etc?
I just returned from a trip to Icheon, South Korea to attend the opening reception for the Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale, where my work is currently on view. I am also currently creating a new body of work for a solo exhibition in March, along with a couple other shows this Fall. I have applications in review for research grants and an international residency that I am hopeful will be accepted! I have so many ideas and am looking forward to having outlets to be able to realize them.
Also, I am very much looking forward to teaching a workshop at Rain City, as I would love to meet more of the community in the Seattle clay scene and see what amazing work the participants are making!
