about
Made by hand, in Sonoma + New York
The Studio · Sonoma
Located at 148 East Napa Street in downtown Sonoma, California. A working fabrication studio and showroom open by appointment.
The studio is fully equipped with a gas kiln, computerized electric kilns, wheel, slab roller, glaze and plaster lab, and everything needed to support every stage of a commission from prototype to large-scale production and installation.
The Studio · NEW YORK
Located in the Finger Lakes region of New York. A working fabrication studio on the farm where Kala grew up living close to the land and where she developed her love for the natural world.
The NY studio is in the meadow view barn that Kala’s father built and is furnished as a ceramics studio and wood shop.
Artist Statement
Working at the intersection of craft, design, and sustainability —
exploring notions of beauty and loss in the natural world.
My work incorporates environmental themes that illustrate the fragility, power, and impermanence of the natural world. Referencing scientific imagery, data, and my personal experiences, I interpret the forces of nature through ceramic sculpture and wall installations.
I consider firing clay as an act of fossilization, creating a permanent record — perhaps an artifact or a memorial — of the ephemeral and the ethereal. Through these artifacts, I explore how we experience and relate to our environment and the climate crisis.
By working at the intersection of art, design, craft, history, technology, and environmentalism, I hope that my work reflects the present, is an homage to our past, and expresses optimism for our future.
Biography
Kala Stein
Kala Stein (b. 1979) is an artist, designer, and educator who makes large-scale ceramic art installations and collectible design. Stein works at the intersection of craft, design, and sustainability, exploring notions of beauty and loss in the natural world.
International teaching and travel inspire her work, which is increasingly focused on environmental shifts and atmospheric mapping. Stein's work speaks to her spiritual reverence for the natural world as she expands the boundaries of ceramic art through her processes and systems of making.
Kala welcomes inquiries for both corporate commissions and teaching opportunities.
Award
National Endowment for the Arts Grant
Received with her Co-Lab group, recognizing collaborative practice at the intersection of craft and environmental art.
Membership
International Academy of Ceramics
One of the newest inductees — a UNESCO-affiliated body recognizing outstanding contribution to the ceramic arts globally.
MFA
New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University
BFA from the State University of New York at New Paltz.
Inquiries
Commissions & Teaching
Kala welcomes inquiries for corporate commissions and teaching engagements at studios and institutions worldwide.
Teaching & Institutions
USA
Anderson Ranch Center for the Arts
Workshop instructor at this renowned Snowmass, Colorado arts center, bringing together artists across disciplines.
Greece
The Cool Projects
International workshop instructor and trip leader — combining cultural immersion with ceramic practice.
USA
Alfred University
Guest faculty at the New York State College of Ceramics — one of the world's foremost ceramics programs.
China
Menlo Studio · Jingdezhen
Workshop leader in Jingdezhen — the historic porcelain capital of China — exploring cross-cultural ceramic traditions.
Italy
La Meridiana International Ceramics School
International instructor at one of Europe's leading ceramics schools in Tuscany.
California
Sonoma Ceramics · Diablo Valley College
Local instructor and studio partner, keeping roots in the Sonoma community while teaching at the collegiate level.
Land Acknowledgment
Sonoma Valley, California
I respectively acknowledge that I live and work on the unceded lands of the Southern Pomo people, here in Sonoma Valley. I am humbled by the beauty and abundance of these lands and acknowledge the tragic effects of colonialism and the implications on tribal communities to this present day. I am committed to learning from and supporting native people's resiliency and traditional relationship to the natural world.