Molded by passion: Inside the Stew Makerspace with Bethany Hensley

When Bethany Hensley moved from Phoenix, Ariz. back to Iowa, she didn’t just bring her belongings — she also brought her love for clay and her hopes to grow a creative community. Now serving as a ceramics instructor at the Stew Makerspace, Hensley is not only shaping pottery, but also a space for the Grinnell community to discover the artistic parts of themselves they didn’t know were there.

“A lot of people don’t know that they’re creative until they try something and really connect with it,” Hensley said. “Wheel throwing is one of those things that a lot of people are surprised at how much they connect with. It’s like therapy in the crazy world that we’ve got going on right now.”

Hensley’s journey into ceramics wasn’t immediate. She grew up in New Sharon, Iowa, where she considered a path in music. She played five different instruments in high school, her primary instrument the concert band flute. Although she made ceramics in high school, she only connected with pottery after a college class.

“I’ve always been interested in art, and I’ve always done art since I was super little,” Hensley said. “When I got into college and I took ceramics as one of my curriculum classes, it just really resonated with me, and it turned into something where I didn’t want to leave that studio. I just loved ceramics so much and I have a natural ability for it.”

After graduating from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Hensley left Iowa for Phoenix, where she spent 20 years working in graphic design. She explained that her work in freelance graphic design slowed down, which allowed her time to dive into ceramics. Eventually, she started her own pottery studio, where community members could pay for a membership to work on their pieces. When her graphic design jobs picked back up, she ultimately declined and decided to do ceramics full-time in 2021.

“If they had kept me busy that whole time, I might not be here. You know, having a lull in my work changed the full course of my career,” said Hensley. “Before it was just a hobby. I would go to work, come drive home, feed my animals and take care of them, and then go to the pottery studio and then drive home.”

Coming back to Iowa wasn’t just about the affordability for Hensley. Though she noted the rising costs in Phoenix did play a role in her move, it was also about belonging.

“I wanted to find a place where I could find a ceramics community that I could engage with, and I love to teach, and there were opportunities for that here,” Hensley said.

Hensley will be leading a mix of classes this fall at the Makerspace — beginner-friendly wheel classes, a ceramic pumpkins class in October and a luminaries class in November. Her most recent class, Friday Night Out, is a casual bring-your-own-beer event, geared towards people with no experience who simply want to relax and just try something new.

“It helps add extra giggles to the class,” Hensley said. “We just wanted to offer something that was a little bit different for people to come out and check out the studio and have some fun.”

Hensley’s own work showcases her love for nature and her playful spirit. Her pieces typically have a motif that can be found in nature such as flowers or little animals and she makes it sparkly, to hint at magic. “It also has an element of nostalgia, which I find that my customers were really connected to,” Hensley said.

Her best selling pieces that she puts online in small batches often sell out in 30 minutes. Each of her pieces take between 12 to 20 hours to make, and prices range between $350 to $500.

“This year has been rough because there’s not a lot of extra financial freedom for people,” Hensley said. “[I] lost a few customers to the economy, but [I’m] hoping that they come back.”

While she’s teaching at the Makerspace, Bethany will also be working to build her own studio on Broad Street. “Being a full time artist can be a little isolating. And so if you have a group of people that you can connect with and you can be inspired by their work, it influences your own work in a positive way,” Hensley said.