In the summer of 2005 David & Maggy Hiltner moved to Red Lodge, Montana to establish the Red Lodge Clay Center. Prior to moving to Red Lodge David was an Assistant Professor of Ceramics at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. Before joining the faculty at Wichita State University in 1999, he taught at Syracuse University, Northwest College in Wyoming, and at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. David received his B.F.A. in Ceramics from Wichita State University in 1993 and completed his M.F.A at Syracuse University in 1997.
RLCC’s Gallery Coordinator is responsible for curating and organizing our annual exhibition calendar, as well as, inviting artists to exhibit, curate, and jury our wide array of exhibitions. In addition, the Gallery Coordinator runs the day-today operations of our retail space, including our online gallery and manages our resident staff members.
Jill has been actively involved in the clay world, diligently working to have a positive impact on our field. Moving to Red Lodge from Carbondale, Colorado, Jill recently worked as a studio artist and as an Educator at the Aspen Art Museum, and served two terms as the Secretary of the Board of Directors for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA).
Jill earned her MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology School for American Crafts, and her BA from Hamilton College. She has been a resident artist at numerous art institutions, notably the Anderson Ranch, the Archie Bray Foundation, and Arrowmont School for Arts and Crafts. Past employment includes work as the Executive Director of the Carbondale Clay Center, the Executive Director of the Clay Studio of Missoula, the Programs and Administration Director at the Archie Bray Foundation, and the Studio Manager of the ceramics program at the Anderson Ranch Art Center. While in her studio Jill focuses on creating minimal, architectural ceramic sculptures that have been widely exhibited throughout the United States, as well as sharing her passion of ceramics through conversation with anyone and everyone who will listen.
RLCC’s Programs Coordinator is responsible for organizing and managing our Artist-In-Residency and Education programming as well as Communications, including social media, press/publishing, and general communication with the public and visiting artists.
Rachael is a multi-disciplinary ceramic artist and writer whose artistic practice and research interests have ignited connections across the globe. Her primary interests are solastalgia, ecological awareness, and the inherent archaeological quality of clay to tell stories through time, form, material and place based social interaction. She has completed residencies at the Red Lodge Clay Center, Medalta International Artists in Residence, the Cub Creek Foundation, and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, as well as being the first artist Fellow of the Global Sustainability Fellows Program of the Sustainability Laboratory.
For the past 5 years, Rachael has taught ceramics and drawing courses at St. Lawrence University as a full time Visiting Assistant Professor in Northern New York. As a born and raised Montanan, educated within the MT university systems, Rachael is ecstatic to return to the Montana clay community as the next Programs Coordinator for Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Montana.
RLCC’s Facilities Coordinator manages the logistics and daily operations of the Clay Center’s buildings and equipment. In addition, they oversee and manage RLCC’s Clay Business, including ordering and maintaining inventory as well as handling customer orders and freight shipments.
Pete Scherzer grew up in Ohio and Montana. He studied ceramics at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Alfred University. He was resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation from 1999 until 2001, and was resident artist at Watson Arts Centre in Canberra, Australia in 2018. He has worked at Princeton University, Alfred University, Peters Valley Craft Center, Cleveland Institute of Art, and Northern Clay Center. He was a lecturer in the Ceramics department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 2014 until 2019. His work is represented by Charlie Cummings Gallery and The Clay Studio in Philadelphia.