OUR STORY
Our Story at Mudluk Pottery Studio: A Black, Queer, Woman-Owned Ceramics Sanctuary in Minneapolis
Mudluk Pottery Studio is a scrappy, grassroots ceramics sanctuary dedicated to creativity, community, and ease. Founded in Minneapolis by Sayge Carroll, Katrina Knutson, and Keegan Xavi, Black, queer, woman owned. Mudluk is a safe, welcoming space where artists of all backgrounds can explore, create, and grow. We pride ourselves on providing a clean, safe, and inspiring environment for learning and creativity.
Our year-round programming offers something for everyone—from wheel throwing and handbuilding to sculpture and glaze application, with classes available for beginners, intermediate, and advanced artists. Registered students enjoy bench-time, while our Members Artist Studio offers shelf space for ceramic artists and advanced students for a monthly fee.
Mudluk is more than a pottery studio; it’s a community. Our retail space features handmade pottery and more, and our in-house gallery, Self Taught, hosts exhibitions in a variety of mediums, celebrating self-expression and unique voices. Explore Mudluk Pottery—a place to create, connect, and feel at home.
Our Founders
Sayge Carroll
STUDIO DIRECTORSayge Carroll, a seasoned artist and advocate, has spent over a decade fostering community bonds through the power of artistry. Recently awarded an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art and Social Practice from the University of Minnesota, Carroll's academic journey complements their BA from the same esteemed institution.
Through a captivating blend of visual art, sound design, and civic engagement, Carroll has dedicated their career and life to interweaving ancestral wisdom, lineage, and the wisdom of natural resources with our contemporary world.
Carroll's artistic vision transcends traditional spaces, as they strive to connect with people in the fabric of their daily lives and communities. In 2015, Carroll established "Art Church," a non-religious community art access program. The following year marked the inception of their annual "Harvest Feast," a community gathering nestled just blocks from George Floyd Square. Carroll's personal touch extends to crafting the ceramic dishes upon which neighbors dine, with attendees bestowed the privilege of taking these handmade pieces home. Over six years, Harvest Feast has united five hundred individuals in joyous celebration.
In 2022, Sayge Carroll joined forces with fellow artists Katrina Knutson and Keegan Xaví to co-found Mudluk Pottery, a vibrant studio and gallery nestled in South Minneapolis. This collaborative venture offers a dynamic platform for artists to immerse themselves in creative exploration and expression, both within the realm of clay and beyond.
Keegan Xavi
ENGAGEMENT DIRECTORKeegan Xavi is a visual artist, passionate about art history with an insatiable desire for research and learning. Her personal work addresses the emotionally brutal realities of American History and its impact on the present and future - with a recurring, broader theme about the human intersection between nature and technology. Art is a vital tool for connection and resiliency and she uses her strengths to produce community events uniting neighbors through creative action.
Katrina Knutson
GALLERY DIRECTORI was born in Minneapolis and raised on working class ethics, progressive politics, street art and hip-hop. I have a deep love of studying and learning through collaboration and experiences. I have traveled, worked and painted everywhere from Mexico City to Toronto, looking for inspiration under bridges, on the streets, and in galleries across North America, and up and down Lake Street, and Franklin Ave the main arteries that connect South Minneapolis and St Paul.
I work as a teaching artist, community muralist, and gallery director at Mudluk Pottery. My own art practice includes painting urban landscapes on discarded windows and pieces of wood, printmaking and endless sketching. I recently discovered quilting and am enchanted by the all the possibilities of patterns and practice. Art is a tool that I use to ease anxiety, build connection, amplify resistance to help us create a more just world.
Our Studio Assistants
Brandon Chambers
I am a visual artist with an ongoing interest in the geometric underpinnings of the natural world. I have a fascination with science fiction and what those stories imply about our own nature.
I grew up in Maryland, spending several years from elementary to highschool living in Jamaica. I finished high school back in Maryland where I later earned my bachelors of Studio Art from the University of Maryland with a focus in printmaking and digital media.
In 2018 I moved to Minneapolis to pursue an MFA from the University of Minnesota. I currently work as an art teacher at a high school in St. Paul and as a studio assistant at the Mudluk pottery studio.
Katja Johnson
I am an interdisciplinary artist born and raised in Minnesota. My work revolves around themes of memory, comfort and space, along with processes of replication, assemblage, and accumulation.
I was raised to be of service to others at a young age and I carry these values with me everywhere I go. Mudluk is a place for me to work in a compassionate community with people who share the same values.
Sam Steine
Samantha Steine is an interdisciplinary visual artist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Steine explores memories, portals, grief, and aquatic life using various mediums such as drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture.
She is continuously awestruck by the power of clay and has become immersed in the world of ceramics. Her work tests the limits of this elemental material through experimentation of techniques and processes.
Ceci Andrade Vital
Ceci Andrade Vital discovered her passion for ceramics in 2018 through Juxtaposition Arts, where she developed her craft in the Contemporary Arts Lab. Since her apprenticeship, Ceci has contributed her talent and vision to notable projects, including sculptures and installations for Made Here 2019 and the Graves Foundation, demonstrating her unique dedication to the art form.
In 2022, Ceci collaborated on a mural for Beam Apartments & Townhomes, followed by her work on CMEJ's logo in 2023, further showcasing her versatility and commitment to meaningful artistic contributions.
For Ceci, ceramics is more than just an art form—it is her sanctuary, a space where she feels free to breathe, explore, and truly express herself. Her journey continues to inspire, creating works that reflect her individuality and deep connection to the medium.
