Where Utility Meets Intention

There’s a quiet revolution happening at dinner tables around the world. Home cooks and celebrated chefs alike are choosing handmade ceramics over mass-produced dishware—and for good reason. When you hold a piece shaped by an artist’s hands, you’re not just holding a vessel. You’re holding a connection to the earth, to intention, to the human touch.

Sandy Simon has dedicated her career to keeping that connection alive.

The Berkeley Years

In 1994, Sandy opened TRAX functional gallery in Berkeley, California, with a clear mission: to provide greater representation for ceramicists dedicated to utility. At a time when the boundaries between art and craft were rigidly policed, Sandy created a space that celebrated both—a gallery where beauty and function weren’t at odds, but in conversation.

But Sandy isn’t just a curator. She’s a maker, through and through.

Sugar and Creamer set with tray, 2024
Soda fired porcelain

The Student Years: A Golden Moment

Sandy's foundation was built in the late 1960s at the University of Minnesota, where she studied under Warren MacKenzie and Curtis Hoard. If you know ceramics, those names carry weight—MacKenzie studied with Bernard Leach and became one of the most influential voices in American studio pottery.

But it wasn't just the teachers. "At the time we were students, the energy in the pot shop was at an all time high," Sandy recalls. "The free speech movement took root. Making something by hand had an audience." Her classmates—Mark Pharis, Wayne Branum, Michael Simon, Randy Johnston—went on to become legends in their own right. That collective energy, that moment when handmade objects felt revolutionary, shaped everything that followed.

The Covered Jar: Sandy's Signature

As a potter, Sandy keeps her forms minimal, letting the landscape of the piece speak. She's best known for her covered jars—elegant, functional vessels that feel both modern and somehow timeless. Comforting.

The details are what make them sing: nichrome wire handles that arc gracefully from rim to shoulder. Subtle alterations—cutting, piercing, the occasional addition of seeds or thread. And then there are the lids.

Recently, Sandy began using acorns and Peruvian "lucky seeds" as "pick ups" for her lids, There's something poetic about it. As Master Mingtong Gu said, "The acorn is where the oak sleeps." A small detail that connects the piece to cycles of growth, potential, earth.

Made to Be Used

"I want my pots to express spontaneity and suggest use," Sandy says. "I enjoy making new forms for the presentation of food."

That philosophy runs through everything she creates. Her work isn't meant to sit untouched on a shelf. It's meant to be lifted, filled, passed hand to hand across a table. Each piece invites you to slow down, to notice, to make even an ordinary Tuesday dinner feel like an occasion. Sandy reflects on how much has changed since her student days. "Today, with the internet, the pace is much faster." But some things remain essential: "Potters provide our connection to the earth—which we must never lose."

In a world of algorithms and acceleration, there's something grounding about an object made slowly, by hand, from clay. Sandy's work is a reminder that we need these touchpoints, these moments of material connection.

Her pieces are collectible, yes. But they're also made for life—for your hands, your table, your daily rituals.

Experience Sandy’s Work

Sandy Simon's porcelain vessels and tableware are available now at Studio light | space through December 2025. Whether you're drawn to her elegant covered jars with their distinctive wire handles, her lovely tableware, or her perfectly balanced cups, each piece is an investment in how you experience daily life—and makes an unforgettable gift.

These aren't mass-produced objects—they're made one at a time, with decades of skill and intention behind every curve and detail. With the holidays approaching, there's no better time to give (or treat yourself to) work that will be treasured for years to come.

Visit us at studio light | space to see the collection in person, or browse available work at the link below.

View Available Work

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23 | Artist profile: Sandy Simon