2026 Artists in Residence
Red Wing Arts is excited to announce our Artists in Residence for 2026. This program provides artists with the time, space, and support to explore ideas, take creative risks, and grow their practice while engaging with our community in meaningful ways. This year the Clay & Creative Center will be hosting two artists – one local and one visiting artist.
Nina Verin
Nina Verin, a self-taught mosaic artist based in Red Wing, will be working out of the studio during the month of September. For her residency, Nina will be completing a project titled Healing Waters Mosaic, which explores the Mississippi River as a source of healing, continuity, and shared identity as it flows through our town.
A central element of this project is community participation, specifically involving local teens. Additionally, Nina hopes to connect with students involved in Hispanic Outreach and the Honoring Dakota Project.
“Healing Waters Mosaic honors the Mississippi River not only as a physical landmark, but as a living metaphor for resilience, movement, and shared healing. Through mosaic, material, and mindful participation, this project seeks to create a lasting artwork that reflects our community’s strength and capacity to carry one another forward during challenging times”, says Nina.
Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities to learn more about Nina and this impactful project.
P.S. Wondering about the cute llama in Nina’s photo? “I volunteer at Wild Pyle Acres. We do therapeutic visits to Senior and Disability Centers locally and in the surrounding area. […] My happy place!”
Laura Williams
Laura Williams, a potter and educator based out of Chicago, Illinois, will be working out of the studio during the month of November. As of last summer, they travel full-time in a trailer, teaching workshops at community ceramic studios across the country.
Laura’s work celebrates material, narrative, process, and play. “My work spans from colorful pinched forms to cartoonish vessels grappling with everyday life. I’m interested in the way clay records our choices; fingerprints, throw lines, brush strokes, sometimes even our moods”, says Laura.
For their residency, Laura will be creating a new run of playful pinched wares, small scale sculptures and illustrated vessels. They will be experimenting with new forms and materials, including a new batch of terra sigillata, a type of clay slip that is highly refined and has ancient roots.
Laura will also be leading a workshop for the community called Cartooning in Clay. “I love teaching and feel most inspired when I am actively leading classes. My cartooning class approaches drawing in a playful way. Participants complete drawing exercises and explore cartooning as a making philosophy. We make images together, story tell together, then look at several methods for translating our stories onto clay”, says Laura.
Look out for the workshop registration this fall and other opportunities to connect and learn about Laura’s work.
This program is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Thank you to the McKnight Foundation for supporting our Artist Residency program.