NANCY GOTTOVI
Nancy Gottovi is the Executive Director of Starworks. She earned her Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has been an adjunct Assistant Professor at NC State University and UNC Charlotte. Dr. Gottovi has served as editor for the national Rural Education Finance Center’s Rural School Funding Report, director of the Heritage and Cultural Tourism Partnership of NC and Project Director of the NC Pottery Center. Nancy was a 1995 Fellow of the Rural Economic Development Leadership Institute and is currently a 2006-2008 William C. Friday Fellow for Human Relations.
Sarah Band
Sarah Band is the School House Gallery Assistant and a glass artist originally from San Francisco, CA. She creates sculptures inspired by science, anatomy and creepy stuff. She first came to North Carolina in 2014 as a Starworks’ intern, and was the Artistic Director at The Olio in Winston-Salem for 6 years. She currently lives in Seagrove, co-running Sarah and Day, a partnership between her and her life partner Day Davis. Sarah has a BFA from San Francisco State University. For more information, visit www.sarahandday.com.
Heather Brookfield
Heather Brookfield is the Manager of the Starworks Café and Taproom. She is from Moore County and studied horticulture at Sandhills Community College. Heather enjoys being outdoors and spending time with her stunnin’ cat and dog.
Jamie Carter
Jamie Carter is the manager of the School House Gallery at Starworks. He holds a BA in English from UNCG. He also studied painting at UNCG and at the Art Students League of New York. He enjoys travelling, knitting and biking in his spare time.
JOE GRANT
Joe Grant is the Starworks Glass Director. He has won many awards, including a residency at the Creative Glass Center of America and the NC Arts Council Fellowship. His work has been exhibted at the Carrack Modern Art, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and the Green Hill Center in North Carolina, Gallery A in Richmond, Virginia, Gallery OneOne in Cincinnati, Ohio, Minnetrista in Muncie, Indiana, University Galleries in Bloomington, Illinois and Marx-Saunders Gallery in Chicago, Illinois. Joe earned a BFA from the University of Illinois and an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. For more information, visit www.JoeGrantGlass.com.
Janey Hollis
Janey Hollis an emerging artist from Birmingham, AL is primarily focused in glass. Janey discovered a passion for glass while studying Art History at Tulane University and participated in the greater New Orleans glass community through YAYA Arts Center, a non-profit where she assisted with production items and demonstrations. Soon after, she began assisting local artists with their personal work, most notably for Ben Dombey where she worked for 3 years making whiskey glasses. She has furthered her skill in hot glass, neon and lampworking through multiple courses at Penland School of Craft, most recently being awarded the Christy Wright Scholarship for Glass. She studied with notable artists such as Karen Willenbrink and Jasen Johnsen, Jen Elek and Jeremy Bert, as well as Janis Miltenberger. She is influenced heavily by art history, juxtaposing classical and modern motifs through form and surface design. She is excited to share her love of glass and design with the Starworks community and continue developing her unique style.
MARY HOLMES
Mary Holmes is the Special Project Coordinator at Central Park NC and Starworks. She earned her master's degree in Project Management from Western Carolina University and her BS in Business from the University of Limerick. Mary is co-owner of the Center for Awakened Health and chair of the Board of the Directors for the NC Pottery Center.
ADAM LANDMAN
Adam Landman is the Starworks Project Manager. Adam is a native of the state of Alabama. He earned a degree in Art from East Carolina University. Adam is an artist, a problem solver, and a former United States Marine. Before joining Starworks, Adam gained experience as a sous chef, a shoe salesman, and a manager at Kinkos.
Megan LAnge
An avid hugger and animal lover, Megan Lange grew up in small-town Ohio with an appreciation of nature, family, and the arts. Lange started blowing glass at Ball State University where she earned a BFA in both glass and ceramics. After Ball State Megan had the privilege of gaining experience at such places as the Chrysler Museum of Art, Penland School of Craft, Pittsburg Center for Glass, and the Toledo Museum of Art. Megan has won multiple awards such as the AACG Visionary Scholarship and has exhibited in shows including Regeneration at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA and Imperfection: International Exhibition in Wroclaw, Poland. Her artistic practice consists primarily of glass and often draws inspiration from nature, her fascination with the interaction between light and glass, and the connection between vessels and the human form. Often being dragged around by a gigantic puppy, you can probably find Megan and her pup Freyja blowing glass or hanging in the cafe. You can find more of her work on Instagram @meglangestudios.
Zeke McCanless
Zeke McCanless is a bookkeeper for Starworks Ceramics. He holds a BA in Radio Television and Motion Pictures from UNC Chapel Hill. Zeke worked in ceramics off and on at Dover Pottery until its close in 2018, and has worked other jobs varying from dishwashing to computer programming. He enjoys dining with friends and taking long naps.
Mac Metz
Mac Metz is the Metal Studio Coordinator at Starworks. He is an artist who works with metal, stone, glass, and wood to create his sculptural work. Mac graduated from ECU with a BFA in sculpture, and has also studied and worked at Penland School of Craft & NCSU. STARworks has been the home to his studio for many years and his work can been seen around the building. His work is also held in galleries and private collections both nationally and internationally. Before coming to Starworks Mac worked as lead fabricator at Wet Dog Glass for more than fifteen years and contributed to the making of state of the art glass studios worldwide. His free time is dedicated to hikes with his dog, travel, writing, and deep thought.
Ryan Osborne
Ryan Osborne is the Ceramic Supply Shop Manager at Starworks Ceramics. Ryan holds a BA in Studio Art and Ceramics from Ferrum College and an MFA in Ceramics from Kent State University. He has taught ceramics classes at various studios throughout Ohio and Virginia and has exhibited nationally. Ryan has had a decade of experience with wood fired kilns and working with various clay bodies. For more information, visit www.rtoceramics.com.
Nina Rominger
Nina Rominger is the Starworks Clay Factory Supervisor. She got her BFA in Sculpture and Ceramics from UNCG and enjoys making abstract geometric forms inspired by shapes she finds in nature. These days she can often be found at the barn learning to care for her sister’s Belgian draft horse, Doc.
Linda Ronsick
Linda Ronsick is a full-time employee in the Starworks Clay Factory. Born in Asheboro, NC, Ronsick always had a love for the arts. In high school, she started dabbling in graphic design and later freelanced for more than a decade. In 2002, Ronsick taught herself lamp-working and has since travelled all over the U.S., selling her wares in-person as well as managing an online shop. In recent years, Ronsick was employed as a mold/maker tech at Carolina Bronze Sculpture. She is excited to be continuing her education in ceramic materials at Starworks, as she learns about different clays and gets her hands dirty in the clay factory. In her spare time, Ronsick enjoys hanging out with her boyfriend and their dog Raeford, chilling with friends, watching cult classics and jamming to good tunes.
Claire Sellers
Claire Sellers is the Communications Coordinator for Starworks. She holds a BFA in Stage Directing & Management from Greensboro College with Minors in Business Administration & Marketing. Claire enjoys small towns, appreciates interesting architecture, and likes to watch movies with her dog Chevy.
TAKURO SHIBATA
Takuro Shibata is the Director of Starworks Ceramics. Takuro is a native of Japan, where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Applied Chemistry from Doshisha University in Kyoto. He has decades of experience in ceramics research, ceramics materials and studio facilities. Takuro has conducted numerous lectures and workshops on various ceramics topics and techniques. He has been a ceramics technical instructor at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Shigaraki, Japan, and a resident artist at the Peters Valley Crafts Education Center in Layton, NJ and the Cub Creek Foundation in Appomattox, VA. He and his wife own and operate Studio Touya in Seagrove, NC.
Hannah Stepanek
Hannah Stepanek is a full-time employee at the Starworks Ceramics clay factory. She grew up in South Florida and continued her education at UNF - Jacksonville, where she received a BA - Innovative Business and Minors in Ceramics and Environmental Science. Hannah enjoys traveling, learning and is grateful for the opportunities to study innovation in Spain, wild clay in Utah during her college experience. She is a registered yoga teacher, offering local classes in Asheboro, NC at the Spiral Yoga studio. When Hannah is not traveling, working, creating pots or poses she enjoys camping, gardening, spending time with family & friends, and playing with her dog and cat.
TARA Thacker
Tara Thacker is the Development Officer at Starworks and has twice been a resident artist (July 2021 and spring 2023). She pursued her studies in art at Virginia Commonwealth University where she received a BFA in Crafts. She then moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington and received an MFA in Ceramics. After graduate school, she pursued teaching and held several adjunct and visiting artist positions throughout the Southeast before moving to Vermont in 2000 to work for an artist residency program and most recently as an Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Northern Vermont University.
Tara is a visual artist working primarily in porcelain to create sculptures and large-scale wall pieces made of thousands of individually made components combined to create an effect of fluidity and soft appearance that often challenges the normal assumptions of the material. You can see her work at www.tarathacker.com or on Instagram @tarathackerart.
BETH THRONEBURG
Beth Throneburg is the Office Manager at Central Park NC and Starworks. She earned a BA in Historic Preservation at Roger Williams University. She is also certified in accounting. Before joining CPNC, Beth worked as a preservation planner, main street director and GED instructor. She likes to camp and create stamped greeting cards in her spare time.
Jessica Watson
Jessica Watson is a bookkeeper for Starworks. She studied Biology and Forensic Chemistry at Appalachian State University. She previously worked as a business analyst, project coordinator, theater attendant, and radiology assistant. Jess loves movies, true crime, gardening, and ducks.
Jordan Watson
Jordan Watson works in facility maintenance at Starworks. He has an Associates Degree in Industrial Technology from Florence Darlington Technical College and previously worked for twelve years as a heavy equipment and diesel mechanic. Jordan enjoys metal fabrication, stress baking, fishing, and camping.