Carrie Molloy brings a range of artistry to Water Street Studios

Ceramics artist Carrie Molloy became a clay maker in September of 2023 after eight months of ceramic class at Water Street Studios. Molloy is somewhat new to the Batavia area but has found a warm and wonderful welcome at the studio and in the community.

“I was so happy to find such a lovely, welcoming city, with all the beautiful small businesses, the Boardwalk Shops, and such a thriving art community,” says Molloy. “The ceramics community at Water Street was instantly welcoming, and now I honestly consider it my second home, and have made friends that are now family.”

In her beginnings, Molloy’s main artistic mediums were music and singing. Even now, Molloy would say music is her “primary art.” “I have sung since I was a child, and my college degrees are in music,” she says. “But I have almost always had a second creative outlet. In 2016 I took up photography and loved it. Then when I moved to Batavia, I gifted myself a ceramics class and never looked back. The photography definitely assists in the ceramics. I didn’t begin selling my work until a little more than a year ago.”

Molloy enjoys the support for artists she sees often throughout the Batavia community. “I love how the small businesses in the area support artists,” she says. “The local libraries, cafes, and shops all have beautiful installations of art. And of course, there is nothing that compares to the exhibits in the gallery at Water Street every month. The Member Shows are definitely my favorite, with such a wide variety of artistic mediums and styles.”

In fact, in the May Member Show at Water Street, Molloy had a wavy bowl on display, showcasing one of her most recent projects. “I felt like I was in a bit of a rut when it came to throwing pottery on the wheel-cylinders and bowls quickly lose their excitement,” she says. “After many tests, of both form and color, I shaped and manipulated a bowl that started as a wheel thrown piece. The glaze tests allowed me to study how different layering techniques can create movement and flow, and it all came together in a lovely wavy bowl. I feel like this piece allowed me to step out of my safe zone and create something more organic and beautiful.”

To Molloy, art is an essential part of the community and humanity. “Art has the power to educate, inspire, and connect people in ways that few other things can,” she says. “It can bring people together to create a sense of community and shared experience. It promotes critical thinking and encourages people to consider different perspectives. Art can promote empathy, understanding, and be a catalyst for social change. Art, in all of its forms, is a necessary and essential part of what makes each of us a unique human.

Find her work at GROW in Geneva, and follow her Instagram for upcoming events and sales, and website updates. @meanderingstreamceramics, and meanderingstreamceramics.com