Since discovering ceramics in 2019 and apprenticing with Seven Bridges Pottery, Delia Bell of Lanesboro, MN has mostly focused on wheel-thrown stoneware. However, in the spring of 2023, a SEMAC Individual Artist grant launched her into unexplored territory: the world of slab-built vessels.
While wheel-throwing demands physical coordination and muscle memory to center and shape clay consistently, slab building presents different challenges. Delia spent the year mastering spatial planning, precise measuring, and structural understanding of slab pottery to ensure her vessels wouldn’t collapse or crack during drying and firing. Each piece required careful construction – considering how corners would meet, how weight would be distributed, and how function would marry with form.
The year-long project reshaped Delia’s understanding of functional pottery. As she mastered slab construction, she discovered how sharp angles and geometric shapes could bring fresh perspective to everyday vessels. Each challenge in construction led to new discoveries that would inform the design of her future work. “The angular nature of these pieces made me appreciate the simplicity of circular vessels in a new way,” she reflects.
The culminating exhibition at Lanesboro Arts in March 2024 displayed Bell’s artistic exploration. Each piece told a story of experimentation and growth, drawing strong community interest. “The grant gave me freedom to experiment and play with clay in ways that I otherwise might not have,” she shares, recognizing SEMAC’s role in advancing her creative development.
Now preparing for the Bluff Country Studio Art Tour (April 25-27, 2025), Bell has also applied for a Minnesota State Arts Board grant to explore combining poetry with clay, carrying forward the same spirit of growth and experimentation that SEMAC proudly supports.
We look forward to following Delia’s future work. To see more of her work and follow her future projects, find Delia on Instagram at @delialbell.