Our Staff

Meg Biddle

The pottery center represents a labor of love for owner Meg Biddle, who was an art teacher and longtime volunteer at the Jane Addams Hull House Association ceramic studio before starting LSPS-LC.

“There was a need for a ceramics studio that catered to artists who were looking for work space in the Lincoln Square/North Center neighborhood,” Biddle says.

Biddle earned a bachelor’s degree in art education from the University of Southern Maine and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Ann Cibulskis

Ann has been involved in clay for many years, and is familiar with several community art studios in the Chicago area. She has trained at the Hyde Park Art Center, Lillstreet Art Center, and at the Jane Addams Hull House Association, where she was also a studio volunteer for several years.

While her technique is primarily hand building, she has collaborated with wheel throwers by altering their pots. For years now Ann has been concentrating on organic looking pieces that resemble bones and fungi. Pinch pots and coil construction are used in the majority of Ann’s work, although an occasional slab may find its way in.

“While some of my work can hang on the wall and be admired, I do prefer to make pieces that can be used and add beauty to everyday life,” says Cibulskis. “I strive to give each item I make a particular line and sense of balance.”

Ann’s creations have been exhibited at the Wholesome Roc Café. She received a BA in Painting and Art History from Providence College in Rhode Island.

Alice Hallowed

Alice started out her clay adventure in 1998 at Gallery Park West where she eventually worked as a weekend volunteer. After taking a break to have two children, she came over to LSPS-LC and has been a fixture ever since.

Alice enjoys both wheel-throwing and hand-building. Most of her work these days are wheel-thrown, altered, and functional pieces. She is currently exploring different surface treatments in her work.

Alice was formally a high-school chemistry teacher but can now be found around town with her four homeschooled children.

Anneliese Moy

Anneliese has been working with clay since 2003 at the Lincoln Square Pottery Studio - Learning Center. She was searching for creative expression as a way to balance life. Her work focuses primarily on functional pieces, both wheel thrown and hand built.

You can see her work at the Lincoln Square Pottery Studio - Learning Center, as well as Cafe Corazon in Milwaukee and Estrella Negra in Chicago. Her pieces are available for purchase at Stumble and Relish in Evanston, IL, Art Island in Darien, IL and at the Beechwood Manor in Saugatuck, Michigan.

Aside from her love for clay, she is first and foremost a mom to her daughter. Anneliese holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago, and an Art Therapy Certification from Northwestern University. She is also a Capoierista and enjoys photography, painting, sketching and everything else under the sun.

Sheila Schaefer

Sheila has been working with clay for many years and concentrates primarily on wheel throwing. She has been involved with ceramics classes at several state Universities and community colleges, as well as private studios. Her work has been displayed for sale at the Prairie Avenue Bookshop in Chicago, as well as at several weekend Art & Craft Fairs around the Chicagoland area.

She has studied many different forms of art including paper making, glass blowing, neon sign bending, metal casting and welding, and painting.

Sheila’s formal education is in Architecture from the University of Illinois with a Masters degree.

Mindy Stillman

After playing with clay as a student at the Jane Addams Hull House Association Arts Center, Mindy became a volunteer, running the open workshop on Friday nights. She came over to the LSPS-LC and began taking wheel throwing classes. She now volunteers on Saturdays. She works on the wheel and does handbuilding, and is interested in creating functional Judaica. Mindy’s day job is as a licensed clinical social worker in an Uptown social service agency.

Rita Yamin

Rita began wheel-throwing in 2009 and found LSPC-LC soon after. She focuses on making functional pieces and likes to challenge her own limits on sizes and shapes. Lately Rita’s work has been exploring different clay bodies and surface decorating techniques. The creative outlet of pottery provides a welcome contrast to the spreadsheets in her day job.

When her hands aren’t covered in clay, they are often covered in bike grease as she rides her two-wheeled steed around town. Occasionally she even cleans up for an evening of social dancing.

Rich Zimmerman

Rich Zimmerman is a Chicago based ceramist who has been creating pottery for over 20 years. Spending most of his time in Springfield, Illinois and working for state government, Zimmerman took classes at the local community college and university before setting up a studio in his home. A job transfer with the state government brought him to Chicago in 2017. Zimmerman now utilizes the Lincoln Square Pottery Studio - Learning Center where he is an independent studies student.

Zimmerman, recently retired from state government, creates work that is mostly functional mid fired pottery. He is drawn to earth tone glazes. While most of his work is created on the potter’s wheel, he recently has been exploring slump molds and hand building to supplement his work. In addition, he is exploring the expansion of color by using underglazes and different designer liner decorative glazes to add more color and sometimes texture to his work.

By being one of the most difficult to raise five children, Zimmerman realized he had a lot of creative energy that needed to be directed in an appropriate and safe fashion. His parents were thankful that he discovered ceramics.