Originally from Highland, Michigan, Laura built her artistic foundation on the tactile experience of Tittabawassee River clay. Her career quickly took shape after high school when she was awarded a scholarship to work with a master potter in Germany. Upon returning to the U.S., she earned a BFA from Eastern Michigan University and completed a prestigious, year-long apprenticeship with renowned studio potter John Glick. She later served as the Ceramics Studio Manager for the Ann Arbor Art Center and attended the Penland School of Crafts.
With over two decades of experience as an art educator, Laura has taught at community institutions including the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Durham Arts Council, and Claymakers, covering subjects such as wheel-throwing, hand-building, sculpture, and glaze calculation. After earning her MFA from Arizona State University, she expanded her academic career into adjunct professorships at Phoenix College, Guilford Technical College, and Aurora University in Shanghai, China, teaching courses in ceramics, sculpture, 2D Design, Drawing I, digital photography, and art appreciation.
Laura’s global perspective is profoundly shaped by international research, residencies, and educational leadership. She has completed artist residencies at CRETA in Rome, Italy, as well as two three-week residencies at the celebrated Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, China. She has traveled extensively to study the historic industrial and studio potteries of Stoke-on-Trent in the United Kingdom, and led students on a two-week study abroad trip to the legendary Japanese ceramic centers of Tokyo, Mashiko, and Shigaraki. This immersive educational experience included studying under a Raku master to craft traditional tea bowls and participating in a specialized Kintsugi workshop.
Since 2023, Laura has served as a full-time Fine Arts faculty member and the Department Head of Ceramics and Sculpture at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, Michigan.