About
Grounded Earth is a pottery and wellness studio founded by a professional mental health counselor and lifelong artist. Located in the South End Arts District in Burlington, VT, the studio is designed to be a welcoming space where creativity and mental wellness intersect. Grounded Earth offers hands-on pottery experiences that promote healing, self-expression, and community connection.
Set to soft launch in June 2025, with a grand opening during Burlington’s Art Hop in September, Grounded Earth is currently seeking members, teachers, and students. We are also looking for support through our crowd-funding campaign to cover startup costs like equipment, space rental, and outreach programs.
Mission and Values
-
Grounded Earth's mission is to cultivate a supportive community through the transformative power of ceramic arts, emphasizing the integration of mental health and wellness into the creative process. The studio is dedicated to providing a supportive environment where individuals can learn, connect, and express themselves, fostering personal growth and collective well-being through the art of clay.
-
Grounded Earth envisions a vibrant community where the art of ceramics serves as a catalyst for connection, personal growth and mental well-being. The studio is dedicated to fostering connections through hands-on learning experiences, empowering individuals to explore their creativity while promoting mindfulness and emotional resilience. By integrating mental health practices into the ceramic arts, Grounded Earth aims to create a nurturing environment that inspires collaboration, healing, and artistic expression.
-
Grounded Earth embraces the values of compassion, curiosity, common humanity, community connection, mental wellness, and artistic expression. With these values, we strive to foster an inclusive environment that promotes personal growth and collective healing through engagement with ceramic arts.
Meet the Team
Sheilagh Smith, LCMHC
Founder, Studio Manager, Instructor
Sheilagh is thrilled to be founding Grounded Earth, a space born from her years working at the intersection of healing and creativity. As a professional mental health counselor and lifelong artist, she's seen firsthand how powerful hands-on art–especially pottery–can be for stress relief, self-expression, and emotional growth. She brings a decade of experience volunteering and teaching at Burlington City Arts, and as the founder of S. Smith Ceramics, known for its classical silhouettes and whimsical designs. Her background further includes extensive time as a production potter, which honed her ability to consistently deliver high-quality work. Sheilagh's passion for pottery and mental wellness now drives her to bring this thoughtful studio to life, creating a vital hub for community, connection, and transformation through clay in the heart of Burlington's arts district.
Addie Chris
Volunteer Studio Coordinator, Instructor
Adler joins Grounded Earth following a decade of volunteering and teaching hand-building ceramics at Burlington City Arts. She's the owner of Adler Ceramics, a Burlington-based business specializing in vibrant, hand-built functional art known for its bold colors and intricate surface designs. Beyond her artistic endeavors, Adler brings a proven track record of working for her community and fighting for systemic change, with a background that includes work at the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) and board service with the ACLU-VT. She's excited and committed to leveraging her skills in collaboration and community engagement to support Grounded Earth's vital work, and to bring more people into the world of clay in this thoughtful studio.