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The Owner and Artist Moorefield Pottery began as a mother-daughter enterprise. For much of her life, Emily Moorefield-Mariola watched her mother, Carli Moorefield, create functional and decorative art from clay. Often Emily could be found working alongside her. Emily soon developed her own techniques and cultivated a style that was compatible with Carli's yet distinctly different. In 1992, Emily rented a small storefront in Wooster, Ohio, to display and sell her creations alongside her mother's. Moorefield Pottery quickly became a downtown landmark and tourist destination. As demand for the pottery grew, so did Moorefield's demand for space. In 1997(?), Emily purchased one of Wooster's historic downtown buildings with the intention of moving the shop and expanding it to include work from other artists. Emily and her husband, Mike Mariola, renovated the building and converted the upper floors into loft apartments. An empty storefront next to the pottery shop became Mike's first restaurant, South Market Bistro. Mike's second restaurant, City Square Steakhouse, is across the street from the shop and the bistro in another newly renovated building. When the duo aren't in town tending to one of their businesses, they can usually be found at home on their farm with their four children. The Pottery Emily and Carli use only clay harvested in the Ohio River Valley. This brown clay differs from the red clays of the West and the white clays of the East. Emily and Carli transform this clay into beautiful and functional pieces of art. Carli specializes in decorative, hand-cut appliqué pieces, while Emily uses a slip-trail method on much of her work. |
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