OUR STAFF
Executive Director: Eric Ehrnschwender
Eric’s first experience with clay was at a community studio in southwest Ohio, where he learned young that a shared workspace is a good place to make art and community. He went on to earn a BA from Vanderbilt University, an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, and kiln training at the European Ceramic Work Center (EKWC) in the Netherlands.
In his sculpture, Eric pairs patient, hands-on methods and a close understanding of materials with open-ended, conceptual thinking. At Fall Kill, he has two goals: to keep craft knowledge alive and within reach of anyone who wants to learn it, and to make a space where people can explore, experiment, and figure things out. His work has been exhibited across the United States and in Iceland and the Netherlands.
Artistic Director: Annie Buchholz
Annie brings 15 years of experience working with clay and a BFA in Ceramics from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She is passionate about community building through accessible arts education and the preservation of heritage crafts, while creating spaces where everyone feels welcome to learn, experiment, and create.
Through large-scale, wheel-thrown and altered forms, her personal work explores memory, renewal, and the non-linear process of integrating lived experience into an evolving understanding of self.
Operations Manager: Chelsea Clark
Chelsea brings a background in business management, accounting, and education to her role as Operations Manager at Fall Kill Creative Works. For the past four years, she has taught youth programming at the studio, along with workshops and private lessons for students of all ages.
Coming to ceramics as an adult has shaped Chelsea’s approach to teaching and her belief in the value of accessible creative opportunities. She especially enjoys helping people who may not think of themselves as artistic discover what they are capable of, and seeing the confidence and sense of well-being that can grow through creative practice.
OUR INSTRUCTORS
Lena Chin is a first-generation Ecuadorian-Chinese ceramic artist, instructor, and curator based in New York’s Hudson Valley. She holds a BFA in Ceramics from SUNY New Paltz and an MA in Museum Studies from CUNY SPS. Lena is very passionate about teaching & building community through ceramics.
Lena’s Chin's studio practice focuses on functional ceramic wares and figurative sculpture. Using mid-range clay bodies, vibrant underglazes, colorful glazes, and techniques such as stencils, hand-painting, and sprigging, she decorates her work with playful patterns of ancestral & cosmic designs.
Lena Chin
Christine Liao is a ceramic artist and instructor. As an artist, she is continually exploring the relationship between form and surface, creating work that balances curiosity, texture, and intention. As an instructor, her goal is to help students gain confidence, develop strong skills, and discover their own creative voice.
Christine began working with clay in 2021. Her passion for the material led her to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics in the Spring of 2025 at Suny New Paltz, where she developed her studio practice.
Christine Liao
Alexis Babian is a multidisciplinary artist and educator with over a decade of experience working with clay. In college, Alexis was a double major in psychology and visual arts, focusing on ceramics and printmaking. Alexis later went on to pursue a degree in textile & surface design from FIT.
Often featuring florals and hand painted motifs, she would describe her work as feminine, whimsical and endearing. Her latest obsession is making miniatures, striking the perfect balance between form and surface design on a very small scale.
Alexis Babian
Elycia Castaneda is an Indigenous ceramic artist based in the Mid Hudson Valley, whose artistic practice is deeply inspired by a love and reverence for the earth. Her practice embraces the unpredictable nature of atmospheric firing, allowing flame, ash, and other earthly elements to bring another layer of life to each piece.
Through a playful balance of intention and chance, Elycia crafts work that celebrates the natural world and the mysteries that emerge when clay, fire, and creativity come together.
Elycia Castaneda
Born and raised in the mid-Hudson Valley, Caty Therese has long relied on her surroundings for inspiration. A hike in the mountains, a walk down Main Street, a moment by the Hudson - she sees everything around us as meaningful and beautiful.
She has been working as a teaching artist in Dutchess and Putnam for nearly a decade and has become a well-known part of many students’ artful journeys. Her first love is ceramics and sharing the idea of molding a mound of clay into something magical.
Caty Therese
Alice Barrett is a Hudson-Valley ceramics artist who loves finding and exploring ideas of community in her work. Originally from the Boston area, she is currently pursuing her MFA in Ceramics at SUNY New Paltz.
Alice’s roots are in functional wheel-thrown pottery, but in graduate school she has been focusing on sculptural hand-built pieces that use bold color, textured surfaces, and botanical patterns. This work considers cycles of growth, change, and interconnection through imaginative ecologic forms.