ABOUT US

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ELLEN CORSELL

Ellen Corsell has been in love with clay since kindergarten and has spent a lifetime championing handmade art. In the 1980s, she and her then-husband ran a pottery studio specializing in salt glazing, deepening her passion for ceramics and traditional craft techniques. For 35 years, Ellen owned and operated Heron American Craft Gallery in Kent, a beloved space that reflected her devotion to the American Handmade movement and to exceptional crafts from around the world.

An active member of the Kent community, Ellen has played a key role in organizing local events and supporting fellow artists. She believes the Kent Art & Design Show celebrates everything she values: creativity, craftsmanship, and the spirit of community. She is proud to be part of this vibrant gathering of local talent.

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ELIZABETH PLACE

Elizabeth Place is a woodworker, and a member of the Berkshire Woodworkers Guild.  She has had a lifelong love of complex wood grains and live edge wood craftsmanship.  She was gifted an Elm seedling in 5^th grade in response to Dutch Elm Disease devastation in Connecticut and watched the tree grow to 50 feet before it had to be taken down.  Now, most of her raw wood comes from locally sourced fallen trees.  She works exclusively in live edge and burls and combines her pieces with hand forged steel and brass legs, handles and inlays.  A few blacksmith classes inspired her to develop a unique design for the metal additions to her work and now works closely with a local blacksmith.  “My favorite part of design and production is working with local sawmills, blacksmiths, and woodworkers.  I am always learning and collaborating with others to bring my vision to life.  I am still learning and appreciate all the skills I learn through the Berkshire Woodworkers Guild.”

She has a workshop in South Kent where she creates charcuterie boards, writing desks, benches and tables. The majority of customers are local and purchase pieces seen on her Instagram #BerkshirePlaceTables, where she posts her finished work.  Many pieces have been commissioned including a 10’ Walnut Dining Table for a French couple in Montreuil, France, and an 8’ Tulip Dining Table for a family in Chestnut Hill, PA.  She has been featured in Litchfield and Connecticut magazines and placed selected work in Kent shops and galleries.   #BerkshirePlaceTables   https://bptables.com 

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ALISON PALMER

Born in NYC, we lived there a short while before moving to the suburbs of NY. Art always played a major role in my life.  My mother is an artist and my father was an accomplished wood worker. I was introduced to tools and art materials early on. My sister and I had a very non-eventful upbringing.  I went to Kansas City Art Institute for their foundation program and graduated with high distinction from California College of Arts And Crafts with a BFA in ceramics.  After graduation I worked in a mental health facility for four years. Four years was enough and I decided to take the plunge and try to support myself with my art. By doing that I entered the world of wholesale craft shows.  At that time I met and married the love of my life Steve Katz and we joined forces to run the wholesale business (while he continued his musical career). The business was veery successful for about 25 years until the economic down turn in 2008,where we once again had to reinvent ourselves. Our wholesale business at that time, was low fire tableware, designed by me and slip cast and decorated with the help of some wonderful employees.  At the time of the recession all of our accounts had dried up,I had discovered wood firing and my interests shifted in the direction of one-of-a-kind and limited production in the atmospheric kilns.  I have both a wood and a soda fire kiln. One thing led to another and having property with two great kilns, we developed a program to bring ceramic artists to the area by hosting workshops.

At this time in my career I do about one show a year, plus our increasingly popular Clayway tour.  As we unload the kilns the work is photographed and put up on our Shopify page.  We spend our Winters in Mexico where we work on the workshop programming and the flyers. While there, I also spend time designing new work and printmaking. www.alisonpalmerstudio.com

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STEVE KATZ

Steve Katz studied guitar with Dave Van Ronk and Reverend Gary Davis. There were many other young musicians around Greenwich Village during this time who were as obsessed with American roots music as Steve. Many would look for a common ground in which to play music together and they found the common ground in “jug band” music. Steve and some friends formed the Even Dozen Jug Band and were courted by Elektra Records for whom they recorded an album in 1964. In 1965, Steve joined The Blues Project. They recorded three albums while together in their first incarnation. After the demise of the Blues Project, Steve and a few friends put together Blood, Sweat & Tears. The group won three Grammies and sold millions of records worldwide. In 1972, Steve began a relationship with Lou Reed that culminated in his producing two of Lou’s albums, both of which went into Billboard’s top ten. After a short stint in the group American Flyer, Steve went on to become Vice President of A&R at Mercury Records where he produced three albums by the seminal Irish band Horslips and then became Managing Director of Green Linnet Records. He then married his one true love, Alison Palmer. Steve’s memoirs were published by Lyons Press in 2015. Alison and Steve live in Kent, Connecticut with their kilns, their dogs Paco and Frankie, their African Grey Parrots, Tutu & KuKu, and the remains of their guinea pig, Sid. https://stevekatzmusic.wordpress.com