DRINKING AGE: Mill Creek Apprenticeship Turns 21: a note from the artists about the apprenticeship
Simon Levin, Mill Creek Pottery
About the Apprenticeship, in Simon Levin's words:
"In 2004 we started an apprenticeship program at Mill Creek Pottery with the idea of creating a symbiotic experience. In many ways, I designed the program to offer the experience I would have liked to have had when I was trying to find my voice in clay. Today in the United States apprenticeships in the studio arts have become a vibrant educational avenue in arts education. The apprentices play a vital role in the success of the pottery allowing for more opportunities to travel, create and learn. Over the years my program has grown along with my business and now I generally have two apprentices at a time. The apprenticeship is an intense relationship, I am looking for young people to invest in, and who are committed to the field of ceramics.
As of 2025 I have had the pleasure to work with 28 apprentices."
Anthony Carrillo, Current Apprentice at Mill Creek Pottery
What the apprenticeship means to me:
My time at Mill Creek Pottery has been invaluable to my personal and artistic growth. Immersive mentorship is continually providing new opportunities, challenges, and interactions that are helping me become the maker I wish to be. This form of education suits me well, and I am happy to be learning from someone I admire dearly.
Jenny Chamberlain-Yeaton, Currently in Homer, Alaska
What the apprenticeship means to me:
Although unusually short, my time with Simon was unexpectedly the most pivotal and challenging season of my journey from MFA student to indepedant studio artist. What began as an eventful 4000 mile road trip from Alaska to Wisconsin, my apprenticeship swiftly forced me out of my comfort zone only to end after 30 days, with a life changing medical diagnosis. As my body slowed and physically prevented me from making work and stoking kilns, I continued my apprenticeship from a distance while i relearned how to be a potter with a progressively debilitating disease. As I was flooded with test results and medical images of my brain and spine, I began to see similarities in the lines and textures that draw me to the edge of the ocean. A diagnosis of Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis would gradually come to shape not only the way I create work but the pace, texture, and movement intertwined within each piece. In the end, multiple sclerosis led me to the place I am now. The unique melding of textures and patterns from the ocean and medical imagery remain a constant source of inspiration. My work ethic, tenacity and ability to overcome seemingly impossible challenges was found and tested everyday of my apprenticeship experience.
Arwa Nasrulla, Currently in Tainan City, Taiwan
What the apprenticeship means to me:
My apprenticeship at Mill Creek Pottery with Simon introduced me not only to the rhythms of a working studio but also to what it means to live as part of a community bound by clay. Sharing meals, chores, and conversations alongside studio work taught me that practice is sustained not only by discipline and technique but also by generosity and connection. These lessons will continue to ground how I approach and experience my journey as an artist.
Brian Chen, Currently in Pittstown, New Jersey
What the Mill Creek apprenticeship means to me:
The best takeaway from Simon's apprenticeship has been the toolbelt of questions for self critique. It's amazingly non-judgemental and allows the mind to continue to play and move forward. It has turned an obsessive crutch into creative freedom with an unlimited amount of control. Simon has continued to be a strong mentor and caring friend and I look forward to beating him at the next card game.
Elin Hughes, Currently in Devon, United Kingdom
What the Mill Creek apprenticeship means to me:
The opportunity to be immersed in the vibrant ceramics scene of the US has introduced me to so many new perspectives, techniques and ways of making a life in clay. Apprenticing abroad came with its challenges but Simon’s mentorship has provided me with a solid toolkit to evolve my practice, lead workshops and the confidence to forge a path ahead aligned with my values.
Hannah Meredith, Currently in Portland, Oregon
What the Mill Creek apprenticeship means to me:
Moving to Wisconsin to pursue my apprenticeship at Mill Creek was my first full step into the world as an adult after graduating college, and man, was it a challenging year. I went with the intent to soak up as much knowledge as possible about the wood firing process and refine my making skills. While my time at Mill Creek was invaluable to my artistic education, it also set me on a path to understanding myself and how I move through this world on a much deeper level than just my artistic career. I was challenged to be self-supporting in a way I never had before and was set on a path that still shapes my life today. The principle of hard work that was instilled in me by my parents was tested, but I also learned so much more about my personal needs and values in life. The independence and self-determination needed to pick up and move halfway across the country, find a job and be fully financially independent while pursuing my passion shaped my sense of self and gave me a level of confidence in a way that no other singular year has. Intentionally creating and refining our personal sense of self is the biggest artistic endeavor anyone can take on, and my time at Mill Creek gave me tools to do that.
Harry Levenstein, Currently in Great Barrington, Mass.
What the Mill Creek apprenticeship means to me:
My time at Mill Creek Pottery was formative and foundational. It helped shape me as a potter, and as a person. It helped me learn how to think, and how to walk behind my words. It nurtured a strong work ethic, and steadfast dedication to a dream, and allowed space for fun and humor along the way. It proved that we can do hard things. Simon and Susan showed me that community in the ceramics space, and elsewhere, is not a given; It is something that must be worked on constantly with love and intention. I’ve carried this all with me in the years since, and I wouldn’t be the same without it.
Ian Connors, Currently in Taos, New Mexico
Jacob Meer, Currently in Buffalo, Minnesota
What the Mill Creek apprenticeship means to me:
My apprenticeship with Simon was the launching point for my career. I came into the apprenticeship knowing how to make pots, but I didn’t know how to make a good pot. Simon demonstrated first hand what it took to be an artist; the balancing of chores, studio time, and personal life, the need to always stay curious and playful in the studio, and the need to dedicate yourself to your art. Simon pushed me to become a better artist and even eight years later, I still hear his voice in my head, asking questions and providing feedback as I make and critique my pots.
Kenyon Hansen, Currently in Dollar Bay, Michigan
Lars Voltz, Currently in Bemidji, Minnesota
What the Mill Creek apprenticeship means to me:
Initially my decisions to apprentice with Simon were relatively simple–after earning my MFA, I wanted to return to making tableware, to develop woodfiring confidence and to continue experiencing things beyond what I know to be familiar. After operating at a scholastic pace in a large metropolitan area I wanted to learn from someone making pots from their home studio in rural Wisconsin. What followed were myriad opportunities that have made me a better artist.
Simon’s apprenticeship continues to mean a great deal to me. Like the flow of clay from muck to cupboard, the education I received and can reflect on is a living, dynamic exchange of ideas, culture, perspective, confidence, curiosity, resilience and play. His apprenticeship weaves a kind of artistic camaraderie that values individual voice, collective ambitions and personal experiences. I am thankful to learn from Simon and his family, as well as the other apprentices I’ve worked with over the years.
Liz Vukelich, Currently on the road to Mendocino, CA
What the Mill Creek apprenticeship means to me:
I was one of Simon’s apprentices 2013-2015 and it was one of the most formative experiences of my clay career. It helped both me and my work grow tremendously. We learned how to develop our personal voice in clay and how to critique, be critiqued, and notice the cohesiveness (or lack of) in our own work. We also learned how to wood fire and to have agency around the process. For example, during my interview firing, Simon left me alone with the kiln. He gave me goals and some strategies but he also gave me the freedom to experiment. Knowing when to trust a student to figure something out and giving guidance when necessary are skills I have stolen to use in my own teaching. I’m grateful to have had this experience and honored to be included in this show.
Mike Gesiakowski, Currently in St. Louis, Missouri
Ryan Strobel, Currently in Essex Junction, Vermont
What the Mill Creek apprenticeship means to me:
My time working with Simon at Mill Creek Pottery was incredibly formative and provided exactly the immersive ceramics education I had been seeking. Beyond the many skills and experiences I gained, it was especially meaningful to see how Simon balanced life as a full-time potter with being a father, a family man, and an active member of his community.
Working with Simon taught me how to look at, think about, and talk about artwork critically. Alongside the other apprentices I overlapped with, Matt Buckry and Mike Gesiakowski, we also learned how to build and fire wood kilns, which was a dream come true.
One of the most lasting, impactful experiences of my apprenticeship was that of becoming part of a community. Simon led by example, showing us what it looked like to build, foster, and be part of a ceramics community. This has become an important focus of my current role as a potter and ceramics teacher; helping foster community and “pay it forward,” creating opportunities for young artists the way Simon did for me.
Signe Kløve, Current Apprentice at Mill Creek Pottery
What the Mill Creek apprenticeship means to me:
I am in the midst of my apprenticeship with Simon. It feels like I have landed in the right place at the right time. I came here longing for feedback, and seeking new ways of thinking and talking about my pots. I am developing my work while learning a lot of unexpected new skills along the way. With help from others I have built an extension of a roof, welded together a new door for Simon’s train kiln, designed a kiln in Sketchup, built two kilns, and experienced what it means to live a life centered around clay and the importance of sharing that with other people.