Artists in Residence & Fellow

Carley Holzem (she / her)
2024-2025 Rittenberg Artist-in-Residence

Carley grew up in a small rural town in central Wisconsin called Mosinee. In high school, she began to love all types of art and grew a passion for pottery. She then went on to get her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin Stout with a BFA in ceramics. After graduating she went to Minneapolis for the year-long Fogelberg residency at Northern Clay Center.

“The construction of my functional porcelain body of work is thrown and altered with various attachments. I dramatize spouts, handles, and feet to enhance the dynamics and gestures of each form. The complexity of nature and living organisms is what drives me to include contrasting sections and textures. I look at colors from poisonous animals and plants because they are deadly yet beautiful. I find that this dichotomy relates to the experience of standing out as a queer feminine person and having to protect oneself. My pottery is initially read as feminine but the faceted surface underneath the shiny glaze highlights the rough and sharp qualities of the natural material of clay. The objects I choose to make are simple within their function but command attention through their delicate yet awkward aesthetic. My work is meant to feel youthful and vibrant with a bit of fantasy.”

Evelyn Mtika (she / her)
2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence
2023-2024 Rittenberg Artist-in-Residence

Evelyn Mtika has been working with clay for just shy of 3 years. Her work includes portraiture, figures, text, and is focused on exploring intertwined cultural connections and differences. She is interested in exploring how black femininity and culture is interwoven through hair, faces, and patterns. She pulls her inspiration from different aspects of her own background, having grown up within and between a Black and African diasporic household. She received her BFA from University of Hartford with a focus in ceramics and painting.

“My body of work is related to my understanding of how I navigate the world, holding myself to the close connections I make with my family and friends, and defining my experience of living within the Black and African diaspora and as a Woman. Through my work, I contemplate the nature of growing into my identity as well as the struggle of perceiving myself outside of internalized and negative stereotypes. My pottery is dedicated to pairing ornamental and painterly decorativeness with intense and powerful portraiture. I believe that the portraiture in my pieces, while changing in medium and style, all serve the same purpose; to remind me to always elevate the culture and heritage I grew up around and to respect the body I grew into.”

Christine Raposas (she / her)
2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence

Christine grew up surrounded by many types of art, but developed a deep love for ceramics in college, where she graduated from Alfred University with a BFA. She also studied painting, drawing, and art history in study abroad programs in Paris and Florence. After graduating, Christine completed a Post Baccalaureate program at Kansas State University.

“My work attempts to tackle the impossible motion of flame, the fragile temperament of the ocean, and the all-consuming yet gentle touch of the wind. Clay, both flexible and forgiving, grants me the freedom to chase physical aspects of each element, or at least the shapes they take in my mind.

But more than that, my sculptures showcase a certain harmony between clay and glaze, because each sculpture ultimately becomes more than the sum of its parts. Clay is the sturdy foundation that all else depends upon, but glaze truly makes my work sing.

I try to capture the colors, textures, and motion of this life, so that, even through a motionless sculpture, I can bring viewers to a world they’ve never occupied.“

Stephanie Perez (she / her)
2024-2025 Westchester Community Foundation Fellow
2023-2024 Westchester Community Foundation Fellow

Stephanie Perez (Westchester Community Fellow) is an emerging ceramic artist and instructor with a BS in psychology and sociology from Fordham University. Drawing inspiration from her academic background, her artwork challenges established notions and invites contemplation about the interplay between familiarity and humanity.

While Stephanie's sculptures often portray exaggerated features and proportions, they never lose their profound humanistic essence. Through manipulation of facial expressions, sometimes even through the absence of a face, she evokes a wide range of emotions in her artwork. Stephanie's exploration extends to various glazing and finishing techniques, enabling her pieces to transcend boundaries, pushing the likeness to the human form. Stephanie strives to further push these boundaries of physical likeness, all while maintaining a strong sense of relatability to the human experience.

This fellowship was made possible by the Westchester Community Foundation, a division of The New York Community Trust. Westchester Community Foundation’s mission is to connect generous people to the causes they care about and invest in transformative ideas and organizations to improve lives and strengthen our community. WCF is a division of The New York Community Trust, one of the largest community foundations in the country, with assets of approximately $3 billion.