The Team

Augie Echeandia

Founder

During a fulfilling 25-year career as a software engineer, I discovered my passion for pottery at a raku event hosted by a friend. Seeking a creative outlet during a challenging time in my life, I began taking classes and was instantly hooked. My journey with clay continued as I relocated from Virginia to Kansas City.

Driven by a desire to create a welcoming and inspiring space for fellow clay enthusiasts, I founded House of Clay. My own learning journey has been enriched by workshops with renowned ceramic artists such as Simon Leach and Julie and Harry Hearne, and I’m eager to share my passion and knowledge with the Kansas City community.

Eric Schoenberg

Instructor

Doc Frogs Pottery

Eric, alias Doc Frog, is a community-trained hobbyist potter.  He discovered clay in 1999, and has since explored several aspects of making and firing, including American Raku.  Prior to moving to Leawood he served as an instructor in this firing technique at a community art school in metro Atlanta.

Pierce Haley

Instructor

Pierce’s Instagram Page

As a maker, my approach is to bring an imagined geometry to life. My work begins in a digital space focusing on geometries that take the form of clean-lined objects; these become mold-made ceramic units that create expansive patterns. I shift the material from fluid and impressionable to an expression of mathematical rigidness. My current work focuses on developing hexagonal forms into repeating patterns. I am invigorated by answering the recurring question, what if? And the problem-solving involved in overcoming the challenges of constructing large compositions excites me. Seeing the result of my process leads to further investigations into the intricacies and limitations of the materials I work with and myself.

Caroline Stran

Instructor

Caroline’s Instagram Page

Caroline is a 2019 graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute with a degree in ceramics and a background in kilnform glass. Her work focuses on object replication and monoprinting as a transfer technique. During her undergraduate she studied at the International Ceramics Studio in Hungary as well as the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington. Since graduating she has taken part in the Project Network artist residency at the Guldagergaard International Ceramics Research Center and completed a Post Baccalaureate study at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. After returning to Kansas City she has been leading demos on monoprinting techniques and working on her independent studio practice.

Sophie Francoeur

Instructor

Sophie’s Website

Sophie Francoeur double majored in Ceramics and Art History at Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, MO, where she earned her BFA. Her interest in art history informs her work as well as her life-long passion for anatomy and physiology. Sophie works mostly in ceramic sculpture and tile, but her background lies in 2D charcoal, ink, and paint. In the summer of 2022, she joined a study abroad program studying porcelain and mold making in Kecskemet Hungary at The International Ceramic Studio, and another program studying weaving and natural dyes in San Miguel De Allende. She also interned at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in the Exhibition Design Department.

Kim Duncan

Instructor

Salt Fork Ceramics

Kim Duncan is the founder and lead artist of Salt Fork Ceramics, where she creates functional pottery and sculptural work inspired by nature, travel, and lived experience. Her work emphasizes organic form, layered surface, and fluid glaze, grounded in both technical understanding and creative exploration.

With a background in industrial technology, photography, and graduate study in ceramics at the University of Missouri, Kim brings a thoughtful, process-driven approach to teaching.

She works with students at all levels—from beginners learning foundational skills to experienced potters refining technique and developing their personal voice. Known for her ability to break down complex processes into approachable steps, Kim helps students build confidence while encouraging curiosity, experimentation, and growth.

She also teaches through workshops and visiting artist opportunities, collaborating with studios to create engaging, skill-focused learning experiences.

Julia Carson

Studio Assistant/Instructor

Julia’s Instagram Page

Currently a student at the Kansas City art institute in ceramics, I focus on texture and glazing through methods of layering and removing material by mold making and hand building. Conceptually focusing on the feminine and the ephemerality of the world, I look towards inspiration through fossilization and materialism/maximalism. Even with this background in ceramics I am interested in multimedia work as well. I am a generational Kansas City native and have been immersed in the arts community since I was a kid, visiting the Nelson with my grandparents who prodded me to pursue my dreams. I’m excited to share what I have learned and my unique perspectives with classes and visitors alike!

Shelby Butterfield

Studio Assistant/Instructor

Shelby was born and raised in Topeka, Ks where she always loved art and track and field. In high school she signed to Northwest Missouri State University to continue her track and field career and pursue pre-medicine. One day during her first semester of college Shelby went to visit the ceramics studio with her friend who was an art major. Shelby decided to take a ceramics course the following semester and fell in love with making pottery. After 4 years, Shelby got her BFA in ceramics and since then has worked and taught in multiple studios in Kansas City. She makes functional wheel thrown work with carved birds as a surface design. Shelby is enthusiastic about answering ceramics related questions and cleaning the studio.

In her free time she likes reading, lifting weights in the gym, and spending time with her close friends watching movies.