Judi Esmond
Eddyville
Summary
Dynamic community pottery studio owner and former K-12 art teacher with a proven 13 year track record in small business management and employee training. Expert in pottery all techniques and studio equipment maintenance, fostering creativity and critical thinking among diverse learners. Successfully developed tailored programs, enhancing student engagement and satisfaction.
Overview
31
31
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Community Pottery Studio Owner and Operator
Self
Rhinebeck, NY
12.2013 - Current
- Designed and implemented a pottery studio layout with a gallery/storefront, 9 pottery wheels, handbuilding tables, slab roller, glaze area, shelving and two kilns, to optimize workflow and enhance student and member experience.
- Developed existing marketing plan to attract new clients though a website, social media, and print.
- Instructed students and fostered teacher/student relationships, ensuring high satisfaction through personalized attention and detailed insight.
- Oversaw all budgeting and financial planning, maintaining profitability while managing operational costs.
- Maintained kiln integrity with loading and unloading daily and general machine maintenance.
- Developed classes tailored for specific demographics such as children and special needs, catering to various needs within the community.
- Trained college-aged students and recent grads to pug clay, prep kiln shelves, mix glazes and unload kilns.
- Production of various styles and methods of making pottery for demonstration, sale and exhibition.
Art Teacher, K-12
New Paltz Central School District
New Paltz, NY
10.2004 - 06.2013
- Collaboratively created engaging lesson plans for Creative Crafts, Studio Art, Photography, and Art Appreciation classes that fostered creative risk taking and critical thinking for all students.
- Evaluated student progress through assessments, providing constructive feedback to support artistic growth.
- Implemented adaptive teaching methods to accommodate varied learning styles, abilities, and diverse needs within the classroom.
- Facilitated collaborative projects and programs that encouraged teamwork and communication among students.
- Established a positive classroom environment that promoted open communication and mutual respect among students though critique and discussion.
- Collaborated with colleagues to create stimulating art curriculums for K, 1-2 and 9-12 students.
Museum Educator, Adjunct Position
SUNY New Paltz
New Paltz, NY
10.2004 - 06.2010
- Developed and implemented educational programs for diverse audiences, enhancing inreach and outreach within the college community.
- Collaborated with curatorial staff to create interactive exhibits that promote learning.
- Designed inspired activities with reflective engagements, facilitating meaningful discussions on art and history.
- Trained and mentored student docents and volunteers.
- Designed educational programs aligned with educational standards incorporating local schools by teaching burgeoning student art teachers through elementary school collaborations.
After-School Program Director, Projcect AWARE
Mill Street Loft
Poughkeepsie, NY
10.2001 - 08.2004
- Initiated and implemented engaging artistic curriculum for a culturally diverse group of "at-risk" girls aged 10-12.
- Compiled program requirements of state and national art grants in detailed reports.
- Partnered with guest poets, nutrition specialists, photographers, craft makers and dancers to address the needs of the group and individual.
Freelance Photographer and Photographic Retoucher
Sarah Merians Photography
NYC & The Hudson Valley
05.1995 - 06.2004
- Operated both black and white film cameras as well as digital to capture weddings, corporate events and private parties.
- Implemented both PhotoShop and Lightroom to retouch photographs as well as traditional hand painting methods.
- Engaged in operational management in a NYC event photography studio with over 50 employees.
- Maintained and designed a website for a personal photography business attracting clients and showcasing a portfolio of work.
Education and Outreach Coordinator
Center for Photography at Woodstock
Woodstock NY
09.1998 - 10.2002
- Organizer of the AIR (Artists In Residence) program for emerging photographic artists of color.
- Managed all darkroom rentals, supervised student use, maintained darkroom equipment and supplies.
- Implemented a child-centered KODAK grant involving disposable cameras.
- Assisted in the summer workshop program and the yearly auction fundraiser.
- Assisted in all exhibition implementation through framing, hanging and organizing of photographs.
Education
Master of Arts - Studio Art, Ceramics
SUNY College At New Paltz
New Paltz NY08-2010
Bachelor of Arts - Photography
SUNY College At New Paltz
New Paltz, NY05-1995
Bachelor of Science - Art Education
SUNY College At New Paltz
New Paltz, NY05-1995
Skills
- Studio employee and volunteer training and guidance
- Throwing, handbuilding and slipcasting
- Small business management and operations
- Multitasking within a large class size
- Patience and empathy for students, clients and employees
- Studio equipment maintenance such as kiln, wheel, slab roller, tools, slips and glaze mixing
- Utilization of programs such as Google Docs, Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Photoshop, Squarespace, Square, Stripe and Canva
Accomplishments
- Maintained a well designed and well received studio with 3 teachers, 10 studio members and an average of 50 students per six week program for 14 years.
- Instituted, organized, and instructed Hudson Valley Pottery's Summer Clay Camp for children ages 7-14 for the past 12 years.
- Author of the forward “Reading Objects,” book published in 2005.
- Created a successful website to market Hudson Valley Pottery as well as personal work for sale and exhibition.
Certification
- Permanently Certified NYS K-12 Art Teacher
Timeline
Community Pottery Studio Owner and Operator
Self
12.2013 - Current
Art Teacher, K-12
New Paltz Central School District
10.2004 - 06.2013
Museum Educator, Adjunct Position
SUNY New Paltz
10.2004 - 06.2010
After-School Program Director, Projcect AWARE
Mill Street Loft
10.2001 - 08.2004
Education and Outreach Coordinator
Center for Photography at Woodstock
09.1998 - 10.2002
Freelance Photographer and Photographic Retoucher
Sarah Merians Photography
05.1995 - 06.2004
Master of Arts - Studio Art, Ceramics
SUNY College At New Paltz
Bachelor of Arts - Photography
SUNY College At New Paltz
Bachelor of Science - Art Education
SUNY College At New Paltz
Exhibitions
Sculpture 3-D & Relief, Tivoli Artists Gallery, Tivoli NY 2026
Procreation in a Chemical Age (Thesis Exhibition), Mixed Media exhibition, Fine Arts Building Rotunda, SUNY College at New Paltz 2010
Aboriginal Bark Paintings By Duzine's Second Grade, Curator andFacilitator, Unison Arts and Learning Center, New Paltz, NY 2009
Lilo Raymond; a memorial, Curator, Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY 2009
Reading Objects, Curator, Exhibition and Publication, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY College at New Paltz 2005
Photographers of the Hudson Valley, Ulster Savings Bank, Kingston, NY Juror: Kate Menconeri 2003
War and Peace, Studio 8 Gallery, Kingston, NY Juror: Patti Gibbons 2003
Vision: The Ultimate Hometown, Curator and Facilitator, Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY 2001
The Light Factory Members Show, The Light Factory, Charlotte, NC 2001
Our World, Beyond the Walls, Curator and Facilitator, Children's Home of Kingston Main Lobby 2001
Grace Interpretations: Images by Hudson Valley Teens, Curator and Facilitator, Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY 2000
Group Show, Iris Gallery, Bayonne, NJ Juror: Gabriel Rivera 1996
Morality, E.I.O. Gallery, Cleveland Ohio, (Honorable Mention) Juror: David Rubin, Phoenix Art Museum 1995
Information Highway: All About The Human Race, Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY Juror: Colleen Kenyon 1995
Solo BFA Exhibition, College Art Gallery, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY 1995
Photography? Photographic Works by SUNY New Paltz Students at Ulster County Community College, Stone Ridge, NY Juror: Peter Corea 1995
Art Teaches Artist Teach Art, Sojourner Truth Library at SUNY New Paltz 1994
The Faculty Selects, Chandler Gallery at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz 1994
Additional Teaching Experience
After School Art Teacher, Edenwald-Gunn Hill Comminity Center, Bronx NY
Teaching Assistant, Maine Photographic Workshops, Marthas Vineyard, MA
Photography Instructor, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY
Teaching Assistant, Summer Six Program, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY