After spending most of her life in Alaska, a long term residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in 2005 shook Carla Potter loose from the hold of that vast domain.  Inspired by her residency at the Archie Bray she went to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln to get her MFA.

Carla spent 15 years presenting workshops in the public school system in Alaska.  She has been a teacher and presenter in many collaborative projects that involve the public and institutions such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey California and the Sheldon Art Museum in Lincoln Nebraska.  Carla has shown her artwork extensively in the states of Alaska and Montana.   Since her time at the Archie Bray she has pursued a national audience and has been part of many exhibitions across the country.

Working from her studio in Helena, Potter uses hand building techniques and works primarily with porcelain. Her work has taken a dramatic shift from the exuberant colorful sculptures inspired by her Alaskan environment to making delicate unglazed porcelain vessels and figurines that weave her own personal narrative with her experience of nature, Catholicism and the history of European art.

In 2012 while settling into the Helena community she was invited to become a board member for the Holter Museum of Art.  Wherever Carla lives it is important to her to become an active member of the community so she said YES! New to this type of service it has been a steep learning curve for her “but well worth it” says Potter.  “My service on the board has been a wonderful context for deeper conversations and relationships with art supporters I have met since being a resident at the Archie Bray”. She was recently elected Chairman of the Holter board and is embracing this role with an increased commitment to the museum and its vital role in the Helena community.