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 in the RCC basement studios 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 our Founder Deb Schwartzkopf! (she/her)

Deb’s Bio:
Throughout my upbringing, the kitchen was a stage for experimentation, and the table, a place for generously gathering people together. Working with clay and sharing handmade pottery at mealtimes became a catalyst for conversation and creativity.

I am grateful to say, my path was guided by amazing mentors. I grew my intention, technical skills, and defined my artistic voice through academic training. Working for potters inspired me to be an autonomous business owner, to creatively and efficiently set and solve goals, and to be indispensable to my community. This strong foundation has allowed me to reach and even eclipse my initial goals of finishing an MFA, participating in prestigious artist residencies, teaching across the country, setting up my own thriving pottery studio, and filling kitchens around the world with beautiful handmade vessels. My adventurous spirit has taken me all across the states and to a handful of countries, as I forged a supportive network learning, teaching, exhibiting, and creating.

In 2013 I purchased property in my hometown of Seattle, WA and began to establish Rat City Studios. Ten years later, I expanded and started a sister-studio, Rain City Clay. Through these two studios, and with the support of an incredible staff, we offer adult and youth clay classes, and community events. My efforts have been embraced by my community. Ceramics Monthly Magazine awarded me Ceramic Artist of the Year in 2019. In 2020 I published Creative Pottery - 192 pages of visually depicted, instructional projects in clay.

Get to Know Deb

2002 - Deb as a studio assistant of Peter Brondz in Alaska

How does it feel to have RCC open for 2 years now?

When I first started working with clay, I worked for studio potters and got an undergrad degree in art. This was the beginning of my vision. At first, my goal was to make pots for a living. I wanted to be a small business owner and as a mentor Peter Brondz once joked, “to get to choose which 12 hours of the day I would work”.

It took many years to accomplish that dream — around seven years. After finishing graduate school in ceramics, I participated in multiple artist-in-residence programs across the US and abroad. During that time I applied to sell my pottery in galleries. I also entered juried show competitions, taught ceramics, created solo shows, and kept learning.

My new goal was to own a home and have a personal clay studio. That took another 5-6 years. In 2013 I bought a home in White Center, WA. It has grown into Rat City Studios. It took another 9 years for Rain City Clay to come into being.

Having Rain City Clay open for two years now feels both dreamy and daunting. Dreamy because it was such a big undertaking and it really is happening! And daunting because it has been a huge coordinating effort to get RCC up and thriving. I knew opening RCC would push me hard. I have quite a few skills, but running a larger studio has required me to learn much more than I expected. It’s been a wonderful challenge and I continue to embrace it.

2007 - Deb made this vase as a resident at the Archie Bray Foundation

Your pottery has taken you across the country and beyond. How have your travels and experiences in different places influenced your work and the way you organize/run the studios?

I have been making pots and teaching ceramics for a living since 2005. I have taught over 65 workshops nationally and internationally, I have instructed at 4 universities, and I have participated in 9 different artist residencies. With every place I have worked, taught, or made art I have gained insight into ways that ceramics studios function.

One thing that these clay studios have in common are wonderful communities of people. Most of the time, what I took away from these visits was small things – reclaim bins close to the sink, generous storage solutions, beautiful test tiles with technique descriptions, lots of open studio hours, and keeping the studio as clean as possible. My priorities are fantastic educational resources, health, cleanliness, and a well-organized space.

What valuable lessons have you learned along your artistic journey that you wish you knew when you first began?

I have tried to learn every skill I could over the years. Some of this came from being curious. Some of this came from not having funds to hire another person. I learned how to take photos of art for applications, build websites, manage social media, build kilns, frame structures, do my taxes, put on roofing, wire fixtures, plumb gas burners, and organize big parties!

Asking for help was a hard skill to learn for me. I might still be learning it : )
I have grown this skill with larger and larger projects coming into being. And I have learned to rely on others much more because of this. I have found that complex projects and communities are stronger with more people’s perspectives, skills, and ideas flowing through them.

I have found I pay a higher price to do a job myself when I don’t already have the skills to do a task. I can pay a professional to do the work and the task will be done well and efficiently (especially with a good referral). A professional may seem to cost more upfront. The alternative is, that I can try to do it myself and it will take me forever, I will have to make multiple trips to the hardware store, and I may have to do it again! Over the long run, this costs even more money and time.

One of the first things I had help with was completing my taxes. As my studio grew, I started receiving help with studio technical jobs. And as growth continued staffing has grown. Rain City Clay & Rat City Studios are fostered by an amazing team. These folks are essential in physical work, brainstorming, attending to details, and caring that makes these studios and communities thrive.

What's 1 non-clay skill you would recommend for students and artists to develop as part of their studio practice?
One skill that has helped me is taking a large goal and breaking it down into multiple steps that can be finished in 5-10 minutes. Making a list of small tasks that add up to a big task is such an amazing skill. When I do this I can feel my momentum building. I get more excited about moving forward instead of being overwhelmed with an enormous goal. And to layer another step into this process, I try to do the task I am least in favor of first. I try to do this during a time of the day when I have the most energy. I save the part I like better for later, as I know I will make time for the tasks I enjoy!

Photo of Ryan, Chris, & Joe after finishing the framing on the RCC Kiln Shed!

Looking to the future, how do you envision Rat City Studios and Rain City Clay evolving in the next five to ten years?

I ask myself these questions almost weekly. I love planning! Long-term goals act as a lighthouse for me - shining a beacon of light when the horizon is full of fog. Some of the longer-term goals are beginning to happen. Overall, I want to keep RCC/ RCS the size they are. I want to grow internally - to do what we already do better and better.

Slow growth goals for the studio include, staff stepping more into management roles and growing complex skills like firing the gas kiln.

RCC has had goals of building outreach programs where we take clay classes off-site. Brooke Hason has spearheaded youth outreach. I am still hoping to find an avenue to bring clay to veterans.

Community showcases are a big priority for me. We have secured two regular community exhibitions at Dubsea and Jellyfish Brewing Co. And we are dialing in our annual holiday show! These are still a big push for the studio and we are growing as we create processes around these events flowing well, advertising them successfully, and increasing participation.

Further out I have ideas for a clay certificate program that includes benchmarks for clay skills, surface development, art-to-market skills, and community involvement.

In the far-off future, Rain City Clay will separate from Rat City Studios and become its own legal entity. Maybe another person will take over directing the studio and managing staff. Maybe, I will have less on my plate one day! (dare I say retire?) It’s hard to say what the future holds. My highest goal is to build a venture that is indispensable to its community. My highest hope is that RCC/ RCS engages and builds community and that the community cares about the organization.

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 love to listen to upbeat ambient music, comedian Marc Maron, and podcasts such as On Being, Hidden Brain, Radiolab, Ologies, Tales of a Red Clay Rambler, The Moth, & Where Should We Begin.

What is your favorite tool?

Soda Kiln! I’m having so much fun sharing this fabulous firing method. It is bringing people together in a fun way and we are getting great results!

If you could have a clay-making superpower, what would it be?

Making pots that are incapable of cracking!

What's next for Deb? Shows? Etc?

Workshops
Rain City Clay, Seattle, August
Peninsula College, Port Angles, October
Studio Paloma, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, November
Red Heat Ceramics Studio, Tulsa Oklahoma, February

Sales
Red Lodge/ Radius Gallery Holiday Shows in December
RCC Holiday Show in December
Old School at Art Church 50th Annual Pottery Show in Demarest New Jersy in December
Radius Gallery - Solo Show April 2025

Blog

August 2024 Founder Highlight: Deb Schwartzkopf

Get to Know Deb