February 1-15:
Works by Molly Smelster
Molly Smeltser, a Fort Madison native, is a self-taught artist specializing in macramé, watercolor, and clay work. Her creative journey began four years ago, driven by a practical need to create plant hangers for her home. What started as a calming pastime quickly grew into a passion for crafting functional, beautiful items. Molly’s work is inspired by necessity and the desire to create pieces that bring both utility and artistry into everyday life.
Recently, Molly has expanded her artistic practice to include watercolor and clay, exploring new ways to express creativity through tactile and fluid mediums. Her pieces often reflect a blend of simplicity and intentional design, celebrating the balance between form and function.
As the Administrative Director at the Fort Madison Area Arts Association, Molly draws inspiration from the vibrant community of local artists she supports and collaborates with daily. Having spent over 15 years as a stay-at-home mom, she values the grounding and meditative aspects of her craft, which have become a cornerstone of her artistic identity.
Through her work, Molly strives to share a sense of warmth, practicality, and beauty offering pieces that connect with people’s everyday lives.
February 16 – 28: Getting a Handle on Life by Jessi Tucci
“Getting a handle on life is an ongoing mission we all have,” states the artist. “My adventure into creating the perfect mugs has been not only a fun pun on words but an analogy for striving to become a better me each and every day,” she continues. With the mugs in this exhibition, the artist found herself exploring different clay bodies, glaze combinations and finishing techniques. She believes there is nothing like a hot cup of coffee in the mornings or a hot cup of tea in the evenings out of a handmade mug. In her opinion, this body of work is analogous to learning to, “handle what life throws at us with wisdom from our past mistakes. These mugs are created from over a decade of trial and error, many graceful failures and never-ending lessons of what not to do.”
Jesse Tucci believes her obsession with clay began the moment she put hands on it. Finding a wheel in 2007 in the back of her high school art room, she stayed after school for hours, attempting to learn how to throw on a pottery wheel by herself. This began what is now not only her hobby and passion, but her full-time career. In 2014, she began a bachelor’s degree in ceramic arts, learning everything about the process from creating, to clay and glaze chemistry, to kiln building and maintenance. These skills led the newly fledged artist to work for nine studios around the country. Teaching has now become as much a passion of her as creating. Sharing her knowledge, love and skill to all ages and demographics here in Southeast Iowa has been a rewarding new career path.
