Jenni and Eric met in the clay studio at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she was a grad student and he was a non-degree seeking special student. For Jenni, it was love at first sight and she knew that Eric was ‘her person’. Eric had sworn off dating grad students, especially those younger than him, but what some might call ‘stalking’ on Jenni’s part lead to an 8-year courtship followed by a dance-party, fun-fest farm wedding in 2014.

Jenni learned the craft of creating elegant utilitarian pottery while earning her MFA at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a BFA at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Her current focus is on creating functional pots, with a delicate flair and supple surfaces, that act as daily reminders to celebrate the trivial, the tragic, and the triumphant. She also dabbles in printmaking, mosaic, and craft work. When not making art, Jenni can be found working in the garden, hitting the trails on her e-bike, or nurturing the Dubuque community through her work as the Director of Communications for Greater Dubuque Development Corporation.

Eric was largely a self-taught artist working in clay, paint, printmaking, and more while also being a prolific poet and talented musician. His ceramic work is reminiscent of the processes of the natural world, forms that are inherently earthy, grounded, and comfortable to use and live with. These clay works include lively animal figures, eroded wall-hanging slabs, elegant dinnerware and more. Eric also loved to rock out on the guitar, write thought-provoking poetry, or work in the garden.

In 2017, Eric was diagnosed with inoperable squamous non-small cell lung cancer. Despite intensive treatments, promising clinical trials, and a ridiculously positive attitude fueled by magical unicorn energy, Eric succumbed to complications from the cancer and a respiratory infection in May 2020. In 2019, they had moved to Dubuque, IA - the Masterpiece on the Mississippi - where Jenni still lives with her four fur children, cats Georgia Lee, Claire Bear, George Buddy, and Char Char.