Meet the Instructors
| Ben Clark is the education director here at Funke Fired Arts or “Leisure Consultant” as his older brother likes to call him. He has the best teaching staff in all the land and love works with them and our incredible student community on a daily basis. He's pretty loud at all times so you should be able to find him in the studio. Some might consider him a good looking rebel that plays by his own rules while others use the endearing term “Dork.” Ben went to DePauw University for undergrad and got a degree in English (yes, English.)He then went to Wichita State for my M.F.A. in clay. He works mainly on the wheel and create sculpture as well as functional forms. Ben's wife is a UC professor and they have two great kids. Come in and say “hi” sometime, he would love to show you around! |
| Kirk Mayhew is one of the craziest people any of us have met. He can make you think about the world in a completely different way (as long as you understand what he says.) In the last few years, Kirk has tripled the size of our sculpture program. His students tend to find their voice quickly and never look back. Please don’t lay any snacks down beside him while you are in the studio. He has two hollow legs and, much like a stray cat, if you feed him once he might follow you home. People who feed him do tend to get their sculptures through the kiln faster. Food for thought. |
| Chrissy Trout is our lead handbuilding instructor and class administrator. She graduated from Miami University and is the polar opposite of a sorority girl. She has been hardened by the Ohio winters and raising two kids and a husband. We all do exactly as she says, when she says it. She also happens to be a brilliant teacher and her students tend to say “Well, that’s not how Chrissy does it” when we help them outside of class. We are all convinced that if she wasn’t working for us, she would be paid to sit in a room and solve the world’s problems, two at a time. |
| Bethany Kramer is the Studio Manager and most of us rely on her to manage parts of our lives as well. She is big into the “Local Foods” movement and has forced several of us to start our own gardens. We lovingly call her “Onion” and she has drastically improved the daily operations of the studio since starting here three years ago. Bethany received her B.F.A from Northern Kentucky University and uses her skills to create functional, sculptural, and installation based work. We still haven’t found something she can’t do but we will keep trying. Don’t let her mild-mannered personality fool you, some of us call her sarge for a reason. Visit Bethany's Website |
| Jon Stein is our head studio tech and teaches several of our wheel classes. Don’t ask him what he thinks of your pots….because he will tell you! Jon is close to graduating from NKU(fingers crossed) with a B.F.A. He focuses on wheel thrown, functional pots for ritual and everyday use. He is a lover of clay history and has spent some time in Japan. Aside from being a very talented teacher, he is also incredibly well versed in firing techniques and materials so if you are looking for answers, bring your clay thoughts to Jon. He thinks about pots more than anyone I know so take a class and soak up some knowledge! P.S. Jon can make up a song on the spot using any five words you give him so please try this out next time you are in the studio. |