Dennis started ceramics and sculpture departments at Knox and Pitzer Colleges. He conducted workshops and lectures throughout the U.S. and abroad, including Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and the Czech Republic. Technical and critical articles by and about him have appeared in numerous ceramics magazines. His book, A Potter's Guide to Raw Glazing and Oil Firing, was published by Scribners (NYC) and Pitman (London) in 1980, and a memoir of settling in Tuscarora and establishing the pottery school, Living in the Country Growing Weird, was published by the University of Nevada Press in 2001. He served as curriculum chair for the National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts. In 1983 he was elected to membership in the International Academy of Ceramics, and in 1990 he was honored with the Governor's Arts Award in the state of Nevada.

Julie left an indelible mark on Tuscarora, Nevada, after a remarkable journey from Gastonia, North Carolina. As the first nursing student to graduate magna cum laude on a merit scholarship at Duke University, Julie's adaptability and grace defined her career. In 1959, she married Dennis Parks, settling in Tuscarora where they realized the dream of establishing a pottery school. Julie seamlessly transitioned from southern belle to frontier woman, managing the day-to-day necessities and earning acclaim as "the best cook ever." Her post-retirement role as the town's postmaster made her a beloved figure.

Currently working as an ICU/Med-Surg Nurse at Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, Ben's practical expertise complements his creative endeavors. He has co-owned and directed Patho Phizz since 2009, a venture specializing in unique scrub tops featuring original fabric designs inspired by pathogens. Ben is a Stanford graduate, holds an AA in Nursing from Great Basin College, and an MFA in Ceramics & Sculpture from Claremont Graduate University.

Cody Breese is a ceramicist and designer from Muskegon, Michigan. He works with clay as a way to measure the fidelity of our relationships with one another. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Art at the University of Nevada, Reno, Breese leverages elements such as texture, gesture, line, and levity to probe the nuances of social cognition. Beyond his studio practice, Cody is also president of Tuscarora Pottery School, where he endeavors in perpetuating the communal nature of pottery.

Jerry Hendershot has been a ceramic artist and instructor for 22 years. He is the owner of Parched Earth Pottery. He is also a full-time ceramics and 3D Design instructor at Timberline High School and at the Tuscarora Pottery School in Tuscarora, Nevada. He has conducted workshops in Arizona, Nevada, West Virginia, California as well as at the WL4 in Gdansk, Poland and the Polish National Sculpture Center in Oronsko, Poland. In addition to his work as an artist, he is currently writing a series of books on teaching visual arts in the secondary setting, with an emphasis on Inquiry and Student-Centered learning. He is joined frequently in his studio by his wife and two kids as well as his family cat and a chicken or two that might stray into the studio on a Sunday afternoon.

Gail Rappa is a professional maker of wearable art-jewelry and sculpture. Her work has been featured in numerous publications, articles, and group shows throughout the country. She teaches metal fabrication classes part-time at Great Basin College (GBC) in Elko, is Coordinator of the Humanities Center at GBC, and is the current board chair for the Nevada Arts Council. Gail moved to Tuscarora in 1997. She lives and works in a restored brick house and assay office from the 1870’s with her husband, plein-air painter Ron Arthaud, their two young children, and a small flock of chickens.

As an artist, Candace Nicol Garlock uses an array of mediums in her work. The coalescence of printmaking techniques, painting, photography (and sculpture, too!) overlap and converge with color, texture and line in a collaboration of mixed, experimental beauty. With her appreciation of the interconnectedness of everything, she explores relationships: human and environment, human and animal, human and human.

Allie Ingels is a geologist by schooling and a ceramicist by choice or perhaps luck.  She first got on the wheel in 2006 at Juniata College and managed to find places to continue her craft (Washington State University, Great Basin College, Tuscarora Pottery School) while also pursuing a master’s degree and career in geology.  In 2018 she began teaching ceramics at Great Basin College (GBC) in Elko, Nevada as a volunteer to keep the studio doors open.  In 2023 she finally made the leap into a part-time career as a ceramics instructor at GBC and is dedicated to growing the ceramics community in rural Nevada.

Esmé has served as caretaker, student, and steward of Tuscarora Pottery School. Daughter of renown ceramicist Goedele Vanhille, Esmé currently works as a Gallerist at the Radius Gallery in Missoula, Montana, and has been an integral contributor to Tuscarora.

Katie is an exceptional addition to the TPS family. She has served as student, caretaker, & steward of Tuscarora Pottery School for several years purely out of an endearing affinity for the campus.

Taylor is a 2024 UNR graduate with a Bachelors of Art in Ceramics. A skilled tattoo artist and animal lover, Taylor has been an energetic & affable addition to Tuscarora Pottery School's community of artists.