My name is Holly Stohl. I'm a ceramic artist currently working at Longwood University. I got started working in ceramics in high school. I was lucky enough to attend a school that had the funding to foster a great ceramics program. From there, I pursued a career in ceramics in college. I attended Bowling Green State University, where I studied under John Balistreri. It was here that I found a wonderful ceramics community, as well as the mentor-ship I needed. I'm now in the next stage of my career, focusing on residencies before going onto the next step of graduate school.

  My work focuses on themes of endangered animals, and extinct animals killed within human history. I'm often asked why I'm so interested in these topics. My interest in exotic animals stems from my childhood - I grew up on a peacock farm in rural Ohio. When I was a teenager, my father and I began raising endangered pheasants. Most people have never seen or heard of many of the species we raised. I simultaneously became very aware of the both the expansive biodiversity of this planet, and it's delicate fragility. When I learned that many of these animals had higher numbers in captivity than in their indigenous regions, I felt compelled to educate the public on this topic, and the progress that we were making to help restore the species. With this body of ceramic work work, I aim to raise awareness and provoke interest in our ever receding wildlife.

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