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meet our team!
Alyssa Lubow
Founder, Studio Manager, Instructor
Alyssa Lubow (she/her) is a ceramic artist, educator, and community builder with over 16 years of experience working with clay. She holds a BA in Art Education and Ceramics from Humboldt State University and an MA in Art Education and Community Practice from NYU. Throughout the years, she has taught ceramics to all age groups and experience levels, and is continually inspired by the magic that happens when people come together to learn, create, and connect through clay.
Over the years, Alyssa has worn many hats in the ceramics world: studio and program manager, instructor, technician, production assistant, warehouse manager, forklift operator, and clay delivery driver. She finds joy in every part of the pottery process - from the exciting moments at the wheel to the behind-the-scenes work that keeps a studio running smoothly.
Her work has taken her to studios across California, Colorado, New York, and India, deepening her belief in clay as a universal tool for connection.
Jiyu An
Instructor
Jiyu was born in Korea and completed her BFA at Kookmin University. She earned an MFA in Ceramics from SUNY New Paltz and an MA in Art History at CUNY City College.
Jiyu created Heart Universe. Jiyu's work offers viewers a unique experience of seeing through her windows, thanks to her distinctive visual language. Throughout Heart and Home shapes, signifiers show her interpretation and integrity of the heart universe in clay. —Jiyu had two solo exhibitions at Moro Gallary "Tuem (Between Crack)" (2019), Jangdeok Gallery's "Fra, me" (2018), and group exhibitions internationally.
Mina Sarfaraz
Studio Technician
Mina Sarfaraz (she/her) is an artist, curator, and educator who started working with clay in 2020.
She enjoys both throwing and handbuilding, and as an avid tea drinker, she makes many drinking vessels. From Baltimore, she got her BFA at Maryland Institute College of Art.
In addition to ceramics, she works in other forms of craft, including metalsmithing and fiber art. Mina loves seeing familiar and new faces around the studio and is always happy to talk through an idea or offer advice!
Aly Tippett
Instructor
Aly has been teaching ceramics to kids and adults in New York for a glorious seven years!
She strives for her classes to be a safe and fun place to explore and express in a warm community setting, while making sure everybody feels uniquely seen and supported as artists and individuals. She especially loves clay’s ability to teach us about ourselves by revealing the ways we’ve learned to interact with ourselves and the world around us, providing us an opportunity to delight in what works and create new approaches for what doesn’t.
Aly's students know her to be warm, patient, gentle, and dynamic in her teaching approach. She admires her students greatly and is eternally honored to be a part of their creative practice, and to facilitate them in learning new skills, resulting in beautiful pieces that they will be excited to take home! She loves Slow Burn and everything it stands for, and she can’t wait to meet you and see what you make!
Madeleine Roslow
Instructor
Madeleine Roslow is a Brooklyn-based ceramic artist and educator with over a decade of experience working with clay.
She holds a BFA from SUNY Purchase and creates playful, colorful, and surreal ceramic work that explores identity, joy, and whimsy.
In class, Madeleine brings the same sense of creativity and curiosity, encouraging students of all levels to experiment, and have fun with the process. Her classes focus on building skills while embracing each student’s unique voice and vision.
Simrun Mannan
Instructor
Simrun has been handbuilding with clay for five years. She loves the quiet, hands-on creativity it brings. Teaching grew out of that love—She enjoys helping people slow down, try new things, and discover what they can make with their own two hands. In her classes, Simrun focuses on creating a relaxed, inspiring space where creativity can unfold naturally.
Tahnee Pantig
Instructor
Tahnee Pantig (she/her) is a ceramicist with over 10 years of experience. She's taught wheel throwing and handbuilding to students of all skill levels. Drawing on her background in dance and athletics, she brings a movement-informed approach to the studio that helps students work more intuitively and reduce strain. Her teaching is rooted in the belief that developing one's own artistic voice matters as much as technical skill, and she loves helping students develop theirs. Her classes are inclusive, technically grounded, and designed for people who want to make real things without taking themselves too seriously. You can follow her work at @highlowceramics.
Stevie + Freddie
Welcoming Committee
Stevie and Freddie are the studio’s most enthusiastic employees. Both 6-year-old rescue dogs and proud members of the Tripawd Club, these three-legged pups take their roles very seriously. As official studio greeters, they bring warmth, goofiness, and a lot of tail wags to the studio.
Stevie has a background in art therapy and specializes in calm, grounding emotional support during pottery mishaps. Freddie excels in community building - he’s never met a stranger and will happily be your personal hype man. ​
Whether supervising from a sunny corner or making the rounds for belly rubs, they make sure every student feels right at home.
Will Wytias-Sobel
Co-Founder
Hi, I’m Will (he/him), co-founder of Slow Burn Ceramics and Alyssa's sidekick (also husband). I was born in NYC and have spent my career producing creative events around the world that center around connection. Mostly music and theater. I am at my happiest when I get to bring people together to create something that didn’t exist before.
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I have supported, cleaned, and helped build things in almost every studio Alyssa has worked in. At Slow Burn, you will mostly find me working behind the scenes - building and fixing things, working on the website, planning events, marketing, and generally doing the (fun) business side of things.
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