Here is our inaugural issue of a new interview - Meet the Studio. Thanks to Amber Pas-Csibi for the idea, and to board member Serit deLopaz Kotowski for alerting about this new studio. Read on for Lisa Sparks's story!
Tell the story of the studio’s conception and birth – please include year started.
moonsparks was born in 2026 from a simple idea: Taos needed another place where people who love clay could have a home for their creative practice.
After retiring from a career as a software engineer, I became increasingly involved with art, galleries and museums and developed a deeper appreciation for the role that creative spaces can play in a community. Ceramics became especially meaningful to me. Working with clay gave me a way to slow down, focus, and reconnect with myself.
I began imagining a community ceramics studio that was different from a traditional class-based pottery school. I wanted a place where experienced ceramic artists could come and work independently, but still have the feeling of belonging to a creative community.
That idea became moonsparks.
The studio opened in Taos in 2026, with the goal of creating a welcoming, well-equipped space where people could make things, learn from one another, develop their own artistic practices, and build relationships. The studio eventually grew to include memberships, classes and workshops, contract firing, and a gallery component that supports local artists and gives members opportunities to display and sell their work.
The heart of moonsparks is really the community. My hope is that through clay we create more than pottery—we create connection, expression and a sense of belonging.
Group throwing area. Photo by Lisa Sparks.
Did other studio(s) inspire you?
Yes. Taos Ceramics Center was certainly part of the local landscape that helped me understand what a community ceramics studio could be. Seeing that model already working in Taos reinforced my belief that there was room for another kind of ceramics community.
moonsparks developed its own personality and purpose. I wasn’t trying to duplicate another studio. I wanted to create a smaller, more personal environment with a strong emphasis on community, independent artists, accessibility and a sense of belonging.
I was also inspired by the many community art spaces, galleries and museums I have encountered over the years. My experience volunteering with galleries and museums showed me how powerful these spaces can be when they bring artists and the public together.
Olivia (instructor & manager) laying out materials. Photo by Lisa Sparks.
Describe your program: workshops, classes, memberships.
moonsparks is primarily a community studio built around memberships. Our members have their own shelf space and access to wheels, a slab roller, hand-building tables, the glaze room and other studio equipment. Membership includes clay, glazing and firing, so artists can concentrate on making rather than worrying about keeping track of every small studio expense.
We also offer private and small-group instruction in wheel throwing and hand building, as well as occasional workshops. Our classes are intended to be approachable and personal, whether someone is completely new to clay or returning to ceramics after many years.
Another part of the program is contract firing for artists who need access to a kiln.
We’re also developing the gallery side of moonsparks. Members will have opportunities to display and sell their work, with moonsparks taking a 20% commission. I really like this part of the vision because it gives our members another way to connect their studio practice with the Taos community.
Storage space. Photo by Lisa Sparks.
What do you do with reclaimed clay - do you have a system of buckets? pug mill?
We encourage members to reclaim their own clay and we also collect clay waste rather than allowing it to go down the drain, and we have a clay-trap bucket system.
We have a pug mill and reclaiming clay in a community studio is something I’m very conscious of because clay waste adds up quickly. This encourages members and students to play and experiment with creating new forms and testing techniques. One of the things I appreciate about clay is that it is recyclable throughout the whole process.
Kiln sits outdoors. Photo by Lisa Sparks.
How do you encourage participants to help keep studio clean?
We try to make cleanliness part of being a member of a community studio rather than something that belongs only to the staff.
The expectation is that everyone cleans up their own workspace and leaves the studio ready for the next person. We emphasize simple habits—cleaning tools and surfaces, keeping clay out of sinks and drains, putting equipment back where it belongs, and taking responsibility for the mess we create.
I don’t want moonsparks to feel like a place where someone comes in behind you and cleans up everything you leave. It’s a shared space, so everyone has a responsibility for maintaining it.
We’re also developing clear studio procedures and relying on our staff to model those habits. My hope is that eventually the culture itself does much of the work.
Do you have "animal-helpers” Cat, Dog, Bird, Fish, Snake, Other?
Our official studio animal-helper is Dunken, my little chihuahua mix.
He’s more of a home companion than a working studio dog, but he is definitely part of the moonsparks family in spirit. He has a very important job: keeping me company and reminding me that there is life outside of spreadsheets, bookkeeping, kiln schedules and studio management.
Dunken, the doggie who hangs out at moonsparks. Photo by Lisa Sparks.
Are you interested in the chemistry and behavior of clays and glazes? Or do you prefer to leave the technical stuff to the science geeks and use commercial glazes?
I’m definitely interested in the chemistry and behavior of clay and glazes—probably more than I ever expected to be.
I like understanding why something behaves the way it does: why a clay shrinks, what happens during firing, why a glaze runs or doesn’t fit a clay body, and how different materials interact. As the studio has grown, I’ve realized that understanding those things isn’t just academic; it helps us make better decisions about what we offer our members.
That said, I’m not interested in reinventing every glaze recipe myself. I would use reliable commercial glazes when they give us consistent results. I would describe myself as curious and hands-on rather than a glaze chemist.
I’m still learning, and honestly, that’s part of what I enjoy about ceramics. There is always another thing to figure out.
How do you get the word out?
We use a combination of social media, our website, community event listings, word of mouth and personal connections throughout Taos.
Events and open houses are particularly important because people need to experience moonsparks to understand what we’re trying to create. Workshops are another way of introducing people to the studio and giving them a chance to meet us.
The gallery also helps connect moonsparks with the broader Taos art community.
Ultimately, I think word of mouth is going to be one of our most important forms of outreach. Taos is a very relationship-oriented community, and I want moonsparks to become known because people genuinely enjoy being here and tell other people about it.
Olivia sits near a person throwing. Photo by Lisa Sparks.
What part about the management do you find yourself loving? Is there a part that you don’t enjoy?
What I love most is creating something that didn’t exist before.
I love seeing the studio come alive—watching people work, seeing members develop their own creative practices, bringing artists into the gallery, and creating opportunities for people to connect through clay. I especially enjoy the vision and problem-solving side of running the studio: figuring out how the pieces fit together and imagining what moonsparks can become.
What I don’t love is the administrative side. Bookkeeping, taxes, paperwork, scheduling, tracking expenses and all the little operational details can feel very far removed from why I started the studio in the first place.
I’ve also learned that trying to do everything myself isn’t sustainable. One of the biggest challenges—and one of the biggest lessons—has been learning how to delegate and build systems so that moonsparks can function without everything having to pass through me.
That’s something I’m actively working on now: creating a studio that can thrive because of the people who are part of it, rather than because I personally do everything.
Entrance to moonsparks. Photo by Lisa Sparks.
Do you have a pipe dream for your studio that awaits time or funding?
Absolutely.
My pipe dream is for moonsparks to become much more than a ceramics studio. I would love for it to grow into a truly thriving community arts space—a place where ceramic artists can work, teach, exhibit and sell their work, and where the broader Taos community can come in, learn, participate and feel welcome.
I’d love to eventually have more space, more equipment, more classes and workshops, visiting artists, demonstrations, exhibitions and community projects. I can imagine artist residencies and opportunities for members to collaborate with other artists and organizations in Taos.
I’d also love to be able to offer more opportunities to people who couldn’t otherwise afford to participate in ceramics.
The dream isn’t really about making moonsparks bigger for the sake of being bigger. It’s about building the kind of creative community that I wish existed—and creating a place where people feel that they belong.
Time and funding will determine how far we can take it. But that’s the direction I’d love to see moonsparks grow.
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Thanks to Lisa Sparks for answering these interview questions. Would you like your studio to answer these for The Slip Trail? Send your query to sliptrail@nmpotters.org . --editors Cirrelda SB and Mary Simmons.
