Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Arford.
Hi Kate, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started working in clay when I was 14 through a class at my high school. I immediately became obsessed.
My senior year was during covid, and I was trying to do ceramics online…. which you can imagine didn’t work.
I went and rented studio space from a local artist and spent all my time there. She had gone to school for ceramics, and it gave me the confidence that I could pursue this as a career.
I started my undergrad at ASU in the fall of 2021 with the goal to one day open my own business as a ceramicist. A professor recommended I go work for studios to learn how they go about their daily operations.
In the summer of 2022, I started teaching classes at studios and began selling my work through school.
I continued to grow my network for teaching and customer base during undergrad and completed my degree in May of 2025.
I currently teach various workshops and classes around the Phoenix area and sell my work.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Yes and no. This is a very non traditional path. The thing I often struggled with the most, and still do, is that there wasn’t necessarily a 9-5 job for me to go get after school, the roadmap we are given our whole life doesn’t fit into this field. I also felt like I didn’t have anyone to look to for what to do after school. It’s a scary leap to realize you have to create the path for yourself.
I have to remind myself constantly that small steps get you where you want to go. It’s easy to get lost in the big picture and feel like you arent making progress. I’m still figuring out how to run my own business and be self employed. Also can I say taxes? Because taxes.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in wheel throwing, it is my favorite process of creating. I primarily make large, narrow neck vase forms that I will abstract into sculptures or keep functional.
My sculptural work mimics playground equipment or toys to develop stories around girlhood and identity in our culture. What does it mean to be a girl again with no expectations?
I’m proud of the relationships I have developed with students and fellow artists. Community is incredibly important to me, and I love existing in this space with others.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Almost all my connections started from my involvement with ASU. I am very greatful for the community of artists I met through school and their willingness to help you succeed.
If I had to start again without help from a school, I would start by attending any and every gallery opening or art related event I could find and start introducing myself to people. This is a small field, its all connected.
It’s important for a mentor to be someone who you connect with their work and feel they connect to yours, that mutual understanding is crucial to be able to grow under someones guidance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kate-arford.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katearford.studio/
