Sally Brown

I can’t say there was a date when I started being an artist.  It’s all about noticing something interesting and then an idea comes about what to add, what to change, what color …. And off you go, it’s just part of me.  I have a degree in fine arts and have studied in many mediums.  Clay really touched me first and I’ve spent a long time exploring that medium as an artist and a teacher. In 2003 my son Andy died suddenly and I was frozen artistically for quite a while.  A tree was donated in his name at his college, however, I hated the color of the rocks around the base.  I imagined the base filled with clay hearts and birds with his initials that his friends and relatives could take home as a remembrance; hearts because his middle name was Hart and birds because his nickname was Birdman. Shortly after, I took a workshop in metal and my love of designing jewelry took off.
Making hearts and birds helped me grieve and inspired me to move on to creating an array of new things.

I taught pottery at the White Bear Center for the Arts for 20 years and loved helping others discover their artists inside. As a family, we came to Madeline each summer for a week or two.  One day I stopped into Woods Hall to check out the pottery studio. Joan Watts showed me around and I
joined on the spot. Soon I was on the Board and teaching classes.  I have been the Pottery and/or Jewelry Studio Manager on and off for many years.  We bought our cabin in 2012 and now spend all summer on the island Woods Hall is filled with so much history, creativity, and wisdom.  I love how it’s channeled and shared as a place for community, creativity, and financial support.