Honoring Women’s History month, ReCreative Denver is celebrating the many women who light up our artistic community. Every woman brings their own spark to our building and inspires others to find theirs in the work they create.
Kelly Angryberger (she/her) is a ceramicist and educator who is upping the clay game around RCD. Through serendipitous moments and meetings, she joined the ReCreative family over a year ago.
You can find her throwing pottery in her studio when she’s not teaching art to rowdy middle schoolers. You’ll especially catch her collaborating with Cal Duran on amazing, one-of-a-kind cups that are sold solely at Meow Wolf Convergence Station’s gift shop.
Kelly’s love for ceramics goes back to her 7th-grade year when she made her first coil pot — a carrot-shaped box — which her parents still have on display in their home. Throughout high school and into college Kelly immersed herself in ceramic arts and by the end of her post-baccalaureate program at MSU Denver, she was utterly hooked on clay.
Everyone drinks out of cups, eats out of bowls, and serves salad, pasta, or curry. There’s a part of ceramics that’s highly functional and each piece made will have its unique uses and experiences. Kelly sees these connections between clay and the moments we all experience.
“Those moments you experience will be with me, but I'll never actually be there. Long after I'm gone these pieces will be used and loved — maybe even end up at the Goodwill for a couple bucks. I love how a cup can be loved, owned, washed, worn, and maybe eventually broken. I love how sometimes a broken pot can break your heart — isn't it amazing how that happens?”
Every time Kelly glazes and decorates her pots she’s working through a visual language. Sure, there’s lots of trial and error, but there’s a lot of beauty in the learning experience.
What’s special about Kelly’s work is that she doesn’t make repeat or identical pieces. If you’ve ever tried your hand at throwing pottery, you know just how hard replication can be. But she embraces that each of her pieces are truly unique — you’ll never find another one like it!
While the clay itself can dictate what’s possible — its color, texture, and plasticity do have their limits — Kelly finds a significant amount of inspiration in her neighboring artists at RCD. She especially feels guided by Duran, who shares studio space with her. She sees the passion that he and other artists at ReCreative bring to their creative space, and it drives her to push herself more in her growth as an artist.
“I've felt myself grow into someone who can confidently self-identify as an artist with a truly amazing community behind me, backing that up. Thanks, guys. Pushing myself to grow and improve is so much more fun with the RCD family to watch it happen.”
Kelly sells her pottery under the name Bananafund Co. — be sure to check out what she’s working on right now and if have the itch to get your hands on some clay, contact her for private lessons!