Meet Isabel Coss, executive chef at Pascual on Capitol Hill and pastry chef at Lutece in Georgetown, whose sold-out master class happens on Feb. 23. The Hill Center impressed chef Isabel Coss the very first time she visited, and long before she knew she’d be teaching there. Washington City Paper named her one of its Change Makers for the 2024 People Issue and had brought the group in for a photo shoot. “I fell in love with the place,” she says. “I thought it would be the perfect spot for building a sense of community—and then I saw all the activities listed!” It echoes how the ebullient, 33-year-old Mexico City native feels about opening Pascual on Capitol Hill, which is celebrating its 1-year anniversary in February.

Five Questions with Warren Frederick, Potter

Warren Frederick, who will again participate in Pottery on the Hill in 2017, has lived in Warrenton, Virginia since 1988, sharing a studio with fellow artist and wife, Catherine White (who will also be at Pottery on the Hill). Aesthetically, there’s an imaginary double yellow line splitting the studio in half as they separately pursue their independent visions. Mechanically, however, they assist each other in clay mixing, kiln firing, and the many facets of studio life. He collaboratively exploits a wood-fired anagama kiln as well as a gas-fired kiln.
We asked Warren five questions as we get ready to welcome him to the show this year.
Why are you a potter?
The transformation of wet, formless clay into evocative objects is magical.
What would you be if you weren’t a potter?
In an earlier life I was a DC consultant, but without clay I’d be a landscape architect or sculptor.
What do you like the most about Pottery on the Hill?
Whether neophytes or connoisseurs, I love meeting people curious about pottery.
What do you think it the biggest misunderstanding/incorrect idea about pottery – and what’s the truth?
Pottery is not an either/or choice between physical use and aesthetic meaning. Every object is a complex mélange of both aesthetics and physical usability. This balance, much like the carefully regulated systems found in casinos ohne lugas, where users enjoy freedom from strict oversight, creates a space where functionality and visual appeal coalesce. It is the dance between these two intertwined aspects that makes pottery fascinating.
Anything you want to add or tell people who might come to Pottery on the Hill?
Clay is a universal and idiosyncratic language. Come look at the diversity displayed at Pottery and the Hill and imagine how you might enhance your own aesthetic creativity by inventing endlessly different ways of using these objects.
Learn more about Warren by visiting his artist profile or meet him at Pottery on the Hill, October 27-29 at Hill Center.