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
Studio Coordinator, Instructor

Alana Redden
Outreach Coordinator, Instructor

Alana joins Grounded Earth as her new home away from home. She is the human behind Luli Pie Pottery (@lulipiepottery), and specializes in pottery inspired by her home state of Vermont, creative smokeware, and commissions. Making pieces that bring joy and ease to people’s every day life means a lot to her. She is thrilled to begin her journey teaching and guiding others in building their relationship with ceramics. Outside the studio, Alana works in the climate and agriculture realm to help bring more resilience, balance, and justice to the ecosystems and food systems around us. She’s excited to bring her communications and community engagement skills to Grounded Earth to help the studio establish its place in this wonderful town she calls home.

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 (@adlerceramics), 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.