MEET OUR TEACHERS

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Erica Mao received her BFA from Parsons School of Design, NY, in 2016, and her MFA from Columbia University, NY, in 2020. Erica is best known for her atmospheric layered paintings that stitch together disparate spaces into alternate realities and her ceramics of houses and structures in states of disrepair. Mao had a solo exhibition at Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York, NY, in 2023. She works and lives in Ridgewood, Queens.

Owner of Scratch Ceramics, Nathan is a multidisciplinary artist working in printmaking, painting, ceramics, and glass. Nathan received his MFA in visual arts from Columbia University in 2012 and has been the Master Printer at the Leroy Neiman Center for Print Studies since 2015. He had two solo shows at Davidson Gallery in NYC and continues to show nationally and internationally. His love for ceramics, art, craft, and community are what drove him to open Scratch Cermaics in 2024.

Cammi Climaco is a Ridgewood local. She's a multidisciplinary artist with a deep focus in ceramics and has shown in galleries in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. She has an MFA in Ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in Crafts with a focus on Ceramics from Kent State University. Cammi currently teaches at BKLYN CLAY, Greenwich House Pottery and has previously taught at UNC Chapel Hill, Pratt and the 92Y. She is also the host of The Ceramics Companion podcast. 

Kristy Moreno is a Mexican American artist born in the city of Inglewood, California. Moving to Orange County inspired her to become involved in the art communities of Santa Ana, leading her to collaborate with group collectives including We Are Rodents and Konsept. She then attended Santa Ana College where she found an interest in ceramics that led her to transfer to California State University, Chico to pursue a BFA degree. Her work now spans across mediums to bring awareness and visibility to

Grace Fossett is an artist and educator who received their degree from Alfred University. They have been teaching at Greenwich House and BKLNY Clay amoung other places over the last few years. We are looking forward to having them join us at Scratch!

Fontaine Capel is a New York City born and Ridgewood-based interdisciplinary artist, educator, and facilitator.

In addition to their studio practice, Capel is an organizer of public art initiatives and programming, and has been a teaching artist at institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Marwen, the Art Institute of Chicago, Supermoon Art Space, and now, Scratch Ceramics! They hold a B.A. from Oberlin College and an M.F.A. from Columbia University.

Rhea Barve is an artist from Bangalore, India. Beyond teaching, she works as a ceramic studio technician in Brooklyn. She received a BFA from New York University with a concentration in ceramics and animation.