Sarah Ahart pushes the boundaries of passion projects
Sarah Ahart ’17 turned her hobby into a business.
“The feedback has been very supportive,” Ahart said. “People seem genuinely excited and happy that there is something new to do in the neighborhood.”
Ahart opened Mudhouse Pottery Studio in South Baltimore, Maryland, after learning pottery during her time at Virginia Tech. After graduating with a degree in industrial design from what is now the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design, Ahart moved to Massachusetts and joined a community pottery studio.
“I really just loved the idea of a community pottery studio,” Ahart said. “It was such a great environment to be in. When I moved to Baltimore, I missed my studio in Massachusetts and decided to create my own.”
Ahart works as an experiential design project manager at the National Aquarium in Baltimore while also juggling the challenges of being a new business owner.
Finding a property that had enough space to fit a kiln, enough power, and was Americans with Disabilities Act compliant were all important to Ahart. This search took over a year and a half.
Ahart wanted to create a community space in South Baltimore, somewhere walkable from her home. Ahart said there are other pottery studios in Baltimore City, but most of them have waiting lists and are booked out.
“There's been a lot of positive feedback, which has been exciting because my classes and workshops have been selling out,” Ahart said.
The studio offers various memberships and experience-building classes. Ahart’s favorite part about pottery is how low stakes it is — you can always start over.
“Since clay is infinitely recyclable, you can just try something out and if you don't like it, you reclaim it and try something new with it,” Ahart said. “I think that's the part that I really like. Clay is very different from other mediums.”
Ahart wanted to build a comforting space to enjoy the art of pottery making.
“I really hope that the studio can be a place where people feel like they're able to relax and destress, but also learn something,” Ahart said. “When they leave, I want them to feel like they just did something that was calming and relaxing.”
Although Ahart pursued industrial design during her college years, she said her major allowed her to keep her options open. Electives such as pottery making and entrepreneurship classes broadened her range of skills, proving beneficial almost eight years later.
Ahart looks forward to growing her new business and connecting with her community.
“I think the membership is one of the parts I'm most excited about because that's really where the community comes in,” Ahart said. “It's been cool seeing it come to fruition after thinking about it and planning for so long.”
Written by Emily Southern, a senior majoring in multimedia journalism and student writer for Virginia Tech Marketing and Communications
