Achievement & Joy: Meet Hand In Hand Honorees

Join us for Hand in Hand 2025, as we celebrate some of the passionate and dedicated students who have been part of our Clay Art Center community for more than 15 years. Meet some of our honorees - Ellen Salov, Sondra Goldenberg, and Jeffrey Janowicz - below, and keep your eye out for future posts on more of the honorees.

Ellen Salov is a native of New Rochelle, NY, where she still lives today. She first started working with clay in an art class at Jefferson Elementary School. To this day, Ellen still has a mask she made in the first grade, but she remembered really getting interested in clay when she got to the New Rochelle High School. Some years later, she found her way to Clay Art Center for the first time, and took a class with Georgia Tenore. Like so many folks who have been dedicated students at Clay Art Center for a long time, Ellen’s first classes were held in the old classroom space, which is now the Gallery and Shop. Here, Ellen found her people: “[Clay Art Center] is like church for me. I go there to meditate and gather with likeminded people. The community helps me grow as an artist. I've tried making art alone, but it's so much better in a community setting. Both the art and the experience.” Ellen said she learns something new every time she comes to class, and loves that there’s a give and take of inspiration between all the artists in the studio.

This exchange of inspiration and learning has helped Ellen to push herself further as an artist: “When I create at Clay Art Center, my work develops and changes faster than if I worked independently. I have developed my signature style with the aid of amazing workshops and visiting artists.” For Ellen’s next evolution, she hopes to continue to grow her more conceptual, sculptural body of work. While she has historically made functional pots during her time at Clay Art Center, she’s looking forward to making and showing more of this personal, emotional work. As she advances in her work, Ellen noted that she’ll continue to, “Treat every piece as practice. It's easier to cope with the losses, and you can allow yourself to grow, experiment, and have fun.”

“Everyone has something to learn, and everyone has something to teach.” - Ellen Salov

Sondra Goldenberg was born in Newport News, Virginia and lived there until she moved to New Rochelle, NY in 1963. Not long after Sondra moved to the area, she had her first clay experience with Judy Weber, a noted artist, educator, and arts advocate, as well as a former board member here at Clay Art Center. When she found Clay Art Center years later, Sondra knew she had found her new clay home. Sondra remembered being immediately impressed by the community feeling at Clay Art Center, and how enriching it was to be surrounded by so many people who are so dedicated to ceramics, from the instructors to her fellow students. “Each instructor has added to my skills,” Sondra shared, “I have also learned a great deal from other students. The ability to share information and ideas with so many people has added so much to my work.” As Sondra continues on her clay and life journeys, she keeps a central guiding principle: to be open to new ideas.

“I always hope to learn new skills and continue to find joy in working with clay.” Sondra Goldenberg

Jeffrey Janowicz was born in Southern Michigan, where he first began exploring clay at the Ann Arbor Arts Center in 1998. Soon after moving to Westchester in 2008, Jeffrey arrived at Clay Art Center, where he first took an intermediate wheel-throwing class in the classroom that has since become the Gallery space. Since his first classes, Jeffrey has enjoyed having a supportive space to do his creative work and find community with other artists. Jeffrey noted that, “As you spend time with other students and artists, you see and experience different forms and techniques which help you refine your abilities, and spark new ideas about what is possible to achieve working in clay.” In his time here, Jeffrey has seen some truly monumental works in clay; one of his favorite memories at Clay Art Center was seeing Artist-in-Residence Andrew Coombs construct massive urns for a commission. Jeffrey remembered watching Andrew use a welding torch on the urns, each of which was at least four feet tall and constructed from upwards of 150 pounds of clay.

Jeffrey also recently took on a new challenge of his own when he became one of Clay Art Center’s five newest board members. As part of the Board of Directors, Jeffrey will help to shape the future of Clay Art Center, while he also continues to shape his own work in the studio. When asked about his hopes for the future, Jeffrey shared that he aims to continue to refine his technique, and to share those skills with others.

“You need new challenges in your life all the time so you don't grow stagnant or slip into a state of decline.” - Jeffrey Janowicz