Our Mission

Jessica DeBari is a creatively driven catalyst focused on supporting the arts in Northwest Arkansas and fostering positive community connection through creativity. A lifelong artist with a career that has included business management, arts administration, non-profit leadership, program development, fundraising, and community partnership building, she brings a deep appreciation for all that our creative community offers. She holds a BFA from Hendrix College, and an MFA from American University. She spends her free time painting, serving the community, and caring for her family.

You can reach Jessica at: director@communitycreativecenter.org

Kelli VanPelt brings extensive experience in education and arts-education support to Community Creative Center. Originally from central Arkansas, Kelli holds two Bachelor’s degrees and a Master of Education, all from the University of Arkansas–Fayetteville. With a background spanning classroom education, administrative coordination, and arts-education program support, Kelli excels at creating organized, welcoming environments where both creativity and community can thrive. Outside of the office, she enjoys spending time with her children, reading, and exploring new places with her family.

You can reach Kelli at: office@communitycreativecenter.org

Brynne is a recent graduate from the University of Arkansas, where she received her BFA in ceramics and BA in art history. She has participated in multiple exhibitions in Northwest Arkansas as well as in Rome and alongside the annual NCECA conference. Brynne is also a recipient of the Uark School of Art’s Windgate Accelerator Grant, where she has received $10,000 to continue her art practice outside of academia. She is a functional potter and is primarily concerned with how pottery can serve as a form of introspection and thoughtfulness.

Examples of her work can be found at brynnemoore.net.

Chris is a professor at the University of Arkansas in Sociology and Criminology, and previously worked as an attorney. Chris is a clay artist who started by taking classes at the CCC and continued to hone his skills over the years. He regularly sells pottery at the holiday market and via shops in Eureka Springs and is building a studio at his home in Eureka Springs. Chris loves teaching at the University of Arkansas, but considers Pottery his second calling. He joined the board of directors in 2018. Shortly afterwards, he began teaching wheel one classes. Chris dedicates as much time and energy to the CCC as his schedule allows. Chris says “I want everyone to have the opportunity to learn pottery and tumble down the rabbit hole like I did.”

Steve is retired Director, Category Management and Insights for the JM Smucker Company where he has worked since 2008. Prior to that, Steve worked at Procter & Gamble for 23 years in various roles. Originally from Philadelphia, Steve received his undergraduate degree from Duquesne University and MBA from St Joe's University.

Jeannie Hulen is a Professor of Ceramics and Associate Dean in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, over Art, Music, Theatre and World Languages at the University of Arkansas. She received a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, and an MFA from Louisiana State University. She has held numerous solo and group exhibitions, nationally and internationally. Recent notable activities include stewarding historic gifts from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation and Windgate Charitable Foundation to inaugurate a School of Art at the University of Arkansas, as well as serving as a Fulbright Scholar in Ghana, West Africa during 2018-19.

Barb’s treasured history with Community Creative Center began in 2010 when she was working for Walton Arts Center and was appointed to the CCC board of directors as an organization representative. Together with other board members, they secured a transformative capacity building grant from the Walton Family Foundation and was hired on as CCC’s new Executive Director in 2013. Over the next eight years Barb helped to grow the organization through developing arts education programming for Northwest Arkansas students, expanding adult art classes and workshops, developing outreach relationships with other community and arts organizations, building community awareness and strengthening the organization’s financial standing.  In 2017 Barb imagined a unique and innovative way to increase access to arts experiences by creating and launching CCC’s traveling art studio, the Wheel Mobile. Barb retired as ED in 2021 and has rejoined the CCC board to help the organization move into its next exciting phase in the Northwest Arkansas arts and cultural scene. Barb’s enjoying her retirement spending time with her granddaughters, traveling with her husband and walking her dog Roxie.

Retired from the University of Arkansas after 28 years of teaching Sociology.  I took my first class at CCC at age 65 and was immediately addicted to clay.  Within a year, I had my own home studio and was President of the CCC board.  I was involved in the first grant application process to the Walton Family Foundation and have been on the board ever since.  I served well past the time limit for board members and two years ago was made a board member emeritus.  The CCC community has been an important part of my life all these years and I want others to share that sense of community.  While most of us will never be defined by the broader art community as great artists, at CCC we ARE artists, and we make sure that everyone who walks through the doors can be a part of that.  Can be that artist they never thought they had in them.  That is why I will stay involved with CCC until I'm too damn old to roll out a slab of clay. To create art is the gift we give the community.

Randy is a Ceramics Open Studio Member, and long serving member of the CCC Community. He currently works as management for Glad Manufacturing. He provides insight to policy, management and personnel issues.

Courtney Backus Norton is a Territory Manager for Align Technology/Invisalign. Courtney is originally from Little Rock, AR where she graduated from the historic Little Rock Central High School.  Courtney then moved to NWA to attend the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She received her B.A. in Journalism with a concentration in Advertising / Public Relations and Marketing. Courtney believes in giving back to the community where she lives and actively participates in fundraising events as well as gives her time to several organizations in the area. Courtney is involved in the following organizations throughout the community: Board Member of the Community Creative Center; member of the Junior Civic League of Fayetteville; a past member of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas, served as a board member for two years; mentor at Saving Grace for 10 years; participated as an Art Educator with Art Feeds NWA;  volunteered for the American Heart Association where she has served as Chair of the Purseonality Purse Auction for 5 years and was a LipSync Contestant at the Heart Ball where she won the Community Awareness Award; President of the Tri Delta Alumnae Chapter for Northwest Arkansas; member of the Tri Delta House Corporation, as well as Recruitment Specialist for the National Tri Delta Fraternity for the South Central Region and helped serve the local Tri Delta Chapter;  and volunteers her time with Open Avenues as well as the Susan G Komen Ozark. She was a 2015 Kiss A Pig Candidate for the American Diabetes Association where she was awarded the High Hoof Award for raising the most community awareness. Also, she was a member of the Leadership Benton County Class X. Courtney grew up going to art class in her hometown of Little Rock, AR at the Arkansas Art Center. Courtney has always been a big supporter and believer in the arts, especially exposing children to the arts at a young age can help children with their development, feeling of expression, self confidence and creativity. When we value not only children's creativity, but value people's creativity in general it builds value into their hearts and souls and can lift their self esteem. There are no wrong answers in art and that is what makes it so beautiful. Courtney and her husband Hunter reside in Fayetteville with their daughter Lawson and son Nash with their two dogs Onyx and Rufas.

Kim is an Arkansas native and, alongside her husband Charles Sharpe, is the owner of CitiScapes Magazine — Northwest Arkansas’s longest-running regional magazine. Kim serves as the Publisher for the publication since 2005. In 2000, Kim moved from Little Rock, where she worked in advertising, to Fayetteville and gained additional experience in the publishing industry prior to owning and publishing CitiScapes Magazine. Aside from her career, Kim enjoys opportunities to give back to her community by getting involved with various nonprofit organizations and by serving as a co-chair and candidate for fundraising efforts. She also has a passion for the growing arts and culture scene and creative outlets for individuals in Northwest Arkansas. Additionally, she has served on the Development Council at The Jones Center, is a former member of the Springdale Rotary Club, has served on the Smile for a Lifetime Board, and is a Community Leadership Council Member for the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas. Kim enjoys life here in Northwest Arkansas and all of the wonderful amenities the area has to offer.

Laura Poe is the President of B-Unlimited, a custom apparel company that has grown under her leadership to employ over 200 people, with six stores across five states and partnerships with 200 U.S. colleges. A Jonesboro native, Laura helped shape the company’s people-first values, fostering a culture of family and success. Outside of work, she leads a small church group, advises her sorority, supports the Alzheimer’s Association, and enjoys cheering for the Razorbacks, gardening, and cycling.

I am a California-born Arkansan living, working and painting in Fayetteville, AR.  While my larger works and my line of birds are done in oils, I also paint in small watercolors, acrylics and mixed media. I am working on a line of copyrighted “Snark Cards” that will be available from my website soon. They focus on the sarcastic side of life; the kind of dark humor that has kept me going through some really tough years including a diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma and the collapse of what I thought was a fantastic marriage. Though my cancer is incurable and my heart remains broken, I continue to paint to heal my soul. I hope it also blesses others.

Angela is a teaching artist specializing in painting and ceramics. She has a B.F.A. in Art Education from the University of Arkansas School of Art. In her free time she enjoys baking, gardening, and hiking.

Dave Metzger was born in Kansas City and married into Arkansas. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from Eastern Washington University. Clay found him in 2000 with a wonderful mentor gifting him the same wheel he still uses. He has a small studio in Fayetteville. Personally, he likes to focus on throwing vases, functional ware and horsehair raku. The process is the greatest reward; success or failure.  He has worked in education and serving those with special needs since moving to Arkansas in 2001, but returns again and again to playing with clay. Teaching art has offered him the opportunity to not only pass along the joy of creating something out of nothing, but learn more along the way.  He spends time following the Kansas Jayhawks and his other love, basketball.  Oh, and BBQ.

Dave's Instagram

I am a free lance artist, builder, tinkerer, maker living near Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.

I am a twice college dropout with 45 years experience making things and experimenting on the fringe of art and technology. When I was 12 or 13 I taught myself electronics by reading every book on the subject in the Fayetteville Public Library. In 1984, I taught myself 6502 assembly code, and I have been dabbling in programming ever since. I still feel I am learning new things every day, and I try to keep current and adapt my knowledge. I have built lots of circuits and machines and things to go in people’s houses both utilitarian and fanciful. I have been exploring organic forms in 3D modeling software and the 3D printing pathway. Sometimes I paint or draw or even write. I love to collaborate because even though I have plenty of my own ideas, new perspectives are refreshing and invigorating. I have been teaching lately because it turns out makers have valuable skills to pass on, and who doesn’t love having a captive audience!

Eugene's Website

As a kid in Kansas, Jenny credits an insatiable appetite for all things art to creative, inventive parents, constant reading and “epic road trips” with the fam. After earning her BFA in Ceramics from Kansas State (where she met her husband, Sam by exchanging phone numbers carved into pieces of clay) and an MFA from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Jenny has taught and shown art all over the U.S. and produces pieces for several shops in Jackson Hole, WY. 

A recent transplant to NWA, Jenny and Sam now live in Prairie Grove where they operate Dowd House Studios as full-time artists. Fascinated by the relationship between collector and object, Jenny primarily works in clay to produce functional, quirky, interactive pieces that jive with place and person. She also has worked extensively with the Art Association of Jackson Hole teaching ceramics, drawing, printmaking and artist professional development. Jenny is also the exclusive potter for the White Buffalo Club in Jackson Hole and a private chef in Denver, making custom service ware and plates.

Jenny's Website

I am a local poet and mixed media artist. Through exhibits, performances, teaching, and floral design, I have spent much of my life sharing my passion for art and creativity. It gives me joy to inspire and help others discover their own artistic natures.

I find inspiration in relationships-with humans, animals, rivers, springs, flowers, trees, landscapes, seasons…nature is a generous muse! I love to swim, bake, dance, sing, and travel. I am proud to have two thriving grown children with Mike, my mate of 30 years. We live with two cats and three dogs south of Fayetteville in a cottage in the woods.

Kale is an artist and musician of many guises from Fayetteville, AR. Over the years he has explored a variety of creative forms such as collage, illustration, animation, music, and carpentry. Compelled by eternal and universal themes, he endeavors to separate and recombine these ideas and images in a way that will resonate with the modern world and inspire them to investigate further. He is driven by the desire to educate others and awaken their own individual potential. When he is not teaching or playing with his daughter, you may find him reading, taking a walk, or sitting under a tree somewhere. Sometimes he wishes he were a professional basketball player. Perhaps he’ll start training now…

Laurie Massanelli is a ceramic artist, University of Arkansas alumnus, and retired teacher based in Fayetteville. Combining wheel throwing and handbuilding, she crafts unique stoneware pieces that blend structure with organic form. Her background in education inspires a thoughtful, community-minded approach to functional everyday art. 

Writer for 40 years, published in magazines, newspapers & anthologies. I write nonfiction and young adult fiction, and I’m currently working on a young adult novel. I teach introductory & advanced creative writing.

Mark is an artist from Prairie Grove, AR. He has exhibited in several gallery shows such as Exploring the Inevitable: The Art of Dying, This Land Is Our Land, Ozark Roots at Fenix Arts, The Small Works Show at Local Color Studio Gallery, Creative Spaces Group Show at Mount Sequoyah, Melrose Drawing Club Art Show at Pauhaus Gallery in Hollywood and the annual traveling exhibit Small Works on Paper 2026 for Arkansas Arts Council. He is founder of NWA Life Drawing and hosts monthly uninstructed figure drawing sessions at Fenix Arts.

Personal Instagram| NWA Life Drawing 

Marriah has a BFA Art Education and BA Music from the University of Arkansas. Her studio concentrations are painting and ceramics. While studying at the University of Arkansas, she has been in several Theatre productions, is a member of the Schola Cantorum choir, and is an active member in the Association of Ceramic Enthusiasts and the Association of Art Educators. Marriah is passionate about all artistic mediums and hopes to spark that passion in future artists and students. She has recently shown artwork at The PH Gallery and the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks. 

Matt Jones is a ceramic artist living and working in Fayetteville, Arkansas as the current artist in residence at the Walton Art Center’s Nadine Baum Studios. He has worked as a public school educator, board member for NEXT Gallery and the Arvada Ceramic Arts Guild, and most recently, as studio technician and ceramics professor at Louisiana State University. Matt’s ceramic work has been exhibited internationally and held in the collections of the Kirkland Institute of Fine and Decorative Art and the Jingdezhen Vocational School of Art. He is currently researching and creating a body of ceramic works centered around expressions and

thoughts of locality, materials, and relationships to the environment.

Website| Instagram

Raine Ransom was used to working in 3D spaces long before they started pottery. Initially a 3D artist for video games, Raine loved interacting with any object they could get their hands on to dissect and recreate its appeal. Moving from San Francisco, CA, they decided to pick up working with clay to help their work online but ended up falling in love with the challenge of the craft. They started throwing on the wheel in 2023 and since then they’ve been diligently honing their skills in order to make beautiful and unique pottery using Wild Clay they personally harvested and processed. Now, they teach ceramics to other students at multiple studios such as the Community Creative Center, Mount Sequoyah, and Imagine Studios.

Website| Instagram

Randi (She/Her) is an Artist/Educator currently living and teaching in Northwest Arkansas. She received a BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Ceramics from the University of Arkansas in 2013 and an MA in Art Education from Boston University in 2015. As an artist, she is interested in the ways in which pattern and repetition relate to psychology and the modern human experience. Clay and fiber are her preferred media because the smallest threads and particles come together to create cloth and vessels in the same way that people come together to create society.

Randi's Website

Rosemary Lee is a fine artist and poet whose work explores beauty, memory, and the things we choose to keep. Through original paintings, portraiture, poetry, and artful correspondence, she creates work that invites us to slow down, pay attention, and remain connected to the people, places, and ordinary moments that matter. From one-of-a-kind works to greeting cards and prints, each piece is rooted in the belief that beauty belongs in everyday life.

Artist / author Sean Fitzgibbon explores unusual, real places and events through his work.  He has an MFA in art and a passion for making art and visual storytelling.  

He is a 2021 Artists 360 recipient and a 2022 recipient of the Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship Award for his Kirkus starred, graphic nonfiction book What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel. He has exhibited work throughout the US. He also illustrates books and recently completed writing and illustrating a documentary-style graphic nonfiction book that explores the Crescent Hotel’s strange two years as the Baker Hospital, one of the darkest and most controversial legends in the town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. 

Instagram| Facebook

Shawn Greenwoods is an emerging ceramic artist dedicated to discovering and refining his unique voice through pottery. Over the past three years, Shawn has delved into various techniques to create distinctive pottery vessels, focusing on the interplay between texture, form, and glazing. His creative expression in ceramics has become instinctual, driven by an innate urge to create.

Inspired by daily epiphanies and insights from other artists and mediums, Shawn’s work continually evolves, pushing the boundaries of his creativity. The healing nature of his artistry fosters personal growth, providing solace and purpose. Shawn was the Community Creative Center’s 2023 Artist in Residence, and he is passionate about sharing his soulful creations with others. He is excited to see where his artistic journey will lead.

Sherry Kelley has been passionate about working with glass for over 35 years, drawing inspiration from nature and everyday objects. She has gained extensive experience working in glass shops in both her local area and North Carolina. Sherry enjoys sharing her love of glass through teaching and is dedicated to helping others explore this beautiful art form. She looks forward to working with you and inspiring your creativity.

Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Sam Dowd earned a BFA from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and an MFA from Kansas State University where he met his wife, Jenny. 

Passionate about art as a career, he and Jenny moved frequently, teaching and producing art for shops, galleries, and fairs across the country. Landing in Jackson, Wyoming in 2007, Sam served as the Ceramics and Sculpture Manager for the Art Association of Jackson Hole, and in 2010, he and Jenny launched Dowd House Studios. Sam has also been involved in several public art installations, including mounting a 16’ kinetic steel canoe over a state highway and installing his clay sculpture, “Glimpse”, on the grounds of the Center for Arts in Jackson. While in Jackson, Sam also managed many successful community art programs for kids and adults and curated multiple shows and workshops.

In 2021, Sam and Jenny relocated to NWA to open their Prairie Grove studio and fulfill their dream of becoming full-time potters. With a passion for sharing his experiences and work with his new community, Sam and Jenny have been members of the Community Creative Center’s Open Studio program since spring and are active supporters of community arts programming in NWA.

Sam's Website

Grace Caldwell is a contemporary ceramic artist and educator based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with a focus on the figure, animals, and human-nature relationships. She received her BFA in Studio Art with an emphasis in Ceramics and a minor in Art History from the University of Arkansas. Since graduating, she has worked as a ceramic instructor and studio assistant at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, while also teaching at the Community Creative Center and Nadine Baum Studios. She is also a production artist for Lindsey Frugier’ s ShoppeFarm and continues her studio practice as a non-degree-seeking student at the University of Arkansas. 

Grace's Instagram

Taylor Miller is a queer figure artist working with nature iconography from Wichita, Kansas. They received their BA in painting from the University of Kansas in 2016. Taylor has exhibited their work across the Midwest and internationally, including the Spencer Museum in Lawrence, Kansas. They are currently pursuing an MFA at the University of Arkansas.

Website| Instagram