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The Team
Melina Selimbegovic
Artsy Beast Owner and Operator
Art has always been there for me. One of my earliest memories is playing with yarn at my mom’s feet while she chatted with my grandma over coffee. Creating things just felt natural, even before I knew what it meant to be an artist.
Life took me in other directions for a while. I studied International Politics and Psychology at UNC Chapel Hill, built a career in finance, supported my husband’s work in the restaurant world, and raised a family. But through every chapter, good or tough, art was my steady place to land. It helped me process, recharge, and stay grounded.
Eventually, I stopped treating art like a side thing and made it the main thing. I took a leap, left finance, and started Artsy Beast in 2022 to share this passion with others.
This studio is more than just a workspace. It’s become a hub for connection, creativity, and belonging. Watching people from all walks of life come together here, sharing stories, laughter, and quiet moments of focus, has been nothing short of amazing. The community that’s grown around Artsy Beast is inspiring, and it’s proof of what can happen when art brings people together. I hope you’ll feel that same sense of welcome and warmth the moment you walk in.
Art has always been there for me. One of my earliest memories is playing with yarn at my mom’s feet while she chatted with my grandma over coffee. Creating things just felt natural, even before I knew what it meant to be an artist.
Life took me in other directions for a while. I studied International Politics and Psychology at UNC Chapel Hill, built a career in finance, supported my husband’s work in the restaurant world, and raised a family. But through every chapter, good or tough, art was my steady place to land. It helped me process, recharge, and stay grounded.
Eventually, I stopped treating art like a side thing and made it the main thing. I took a leap, left finance, and started Artsy Beast in 2022 to share this passion with others.
This studio is more than just a workspace. It’s become a hub for connection, creativity, and belonging. Watching people from all walks of life come together here, sharing stories, laughter, and quiet moments of focus, has been nothing short of amazing. The community that’s grown around Artsy Beast is inspiring, and it’s proof of what can happen when art brings people together. I hope you’ll feel that same sense of welcome and warmth the moment you walk in.
Arielle Gottlieb
Kids Ceramics Instructor
Arielle Gottlieb is a highly skilled potter with a deep passion for the craft. Since 2023, she has been sharing her expertise with children and teens in the Washington D.C. area, helping them discover the joy of working with clay. Arielle's exceptional pottery skills are complemented by her extensive experience in teaching diverse art classes and workshops for all ages. Her ability to guide students through the intricacies of pottery, from hand-building to wheel throwing, has made her a beloved instructor. Arielle is dedicated to fostering creativity and artistic growth in her students, and she finds immense fulfillment in watching their skills and confidence develop under her guidance.
Arielle Gottlieb is a highly skilled potter with a deep passion for the craft. Since 2023, she has been sharing her expertise with children and teens in the Washington D.C. area, helping them discover the joy of working with clay. Arielle's exceptional pottery skills are complemented by her extensive experience in teaching diverse art classes and workshops for all ages. Her ability to guide students through the intricacies of pottery, from hand-building to wheel throwing, has made her a beloved instructor. Arielle is dedicated to fostering creativity and artistic growth in her students, and she finds immense fulfillment in watching their skills and confidence develop under her guidance.
Hendi Crosby Kowal
Ceramics Instructor
Hendi has been making pots for nearly 20 years. She relishes every aspect of making and the different parts of her creativity each one allows her to tap into. Hendi takes every chance she can to participate in workshops - in 2023 she had the chance to spend a week working with a master potter in France, and in 2024, revisited her love of raku at a rainy all-day workshop in MD. She particularly loves making closed forms, exploring new ways to alter wheel-thrown pieces, and experimenting with slips and oxides.
Hendi is a technical writer in the public health field. She studied English, French, and Art as an undergrad. After college, she spent two years teaching. She is very happy to be combining her love of teaching with her love of clay, and supporting students in finding that magical balance between beautiful forms and practical function.
Hendi has been making pots for nearly 20 years. She relishes every aspect of making and the different parts of her creativity each one allows her to tap into. Hendi takes every chance she can to participate in workshops - in 2023 she had the chance to spend a week working with a master potter in France, and in 2024, revisited her love of raku at a rainy all-day workshop in MD. She particularly loves making closed forms, exploring new ways to alter wheel-thrown pieces, and experimenting with slips and oxides.
Hendi is a technical writer in the public health field. She studied English, French, and Art as an undergrad. After college, she spent two years teaching. She is very happy to be combining her love of teaching with her love of clay, and supporting students in finding that magical balance between beautiful forms and practical function.
Jill Ross Meltzer
Ceramics Instructor
Jill is nothing short of passionate about clay. She has been a professional clay artist for over 20 years and has taught beginning to advanced wheel throwing and hand-building for over twelve years.
Before moving to DC, she was an Associate at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia and a professional member of the Potters Guild in Wallingford, PA. Jill graduated with a degree in Ceramics from a cooperative program at The George Washington University and Corcoran School of Art and, over the years, has attended many clay workshops around the country. In her previous life, Jill was a practicing attorney in DC.
Jill’s primary interest is in making functional one-of-a-kind serving pieces with a bend towards the decorative. She finds it an inspiring challenge to harmonize the demands of utility with those of imparting a measure of magic to everyday things.
Jill is nothing short of passionate about clay. She has been a professional clay artist for over 20 years and has taught beginning to advanced wheel throwing and hand-building for over twelve years.
Before moving to DC, she was an Associate at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia and a professional member of the Potters Guild in Wallingford, PA. Jill graduated with a degree in Ceramics from a cooperative program at The George Washington University and Corcoran School of Art and, over the years, has attended many clay workshops around the country. In her previous life, Jill was a practicing attorney in DC.
Jill’s primary interest is in making functional one-of-a-kind serving pieces with a bend towards the decorative. She finds it an inspiring challenge to harmonize the demands of utility with those of imparting a measure of magic to everyday things.
Miles Greenblat
Ceramics Instructor
Miles is a digital artist and ceramicist born and raised in DC. His goal is to help your imagination become reality through hand-built pottery, emphasizing creativity and color.
Miles teaches both adult and kids classes.
Miles is a digital artist and ceramicist born and raised in DC. His goal is to help your imagination become reality through hand-built pottery, emphasizing creativity and color.
Miles teaches both adult and kids classes.
Tucker Mandigo
Ceramics Instructor
Tucker Mandigo was born in 1999 in Washington D.C into a family that likes to make things and lived a childhood of creativity and experimentation.
The yearly cardboard boat race held by my moms' side of the family is a classic and a great example of this, in which we all try to build boats out of duct tape and old cardboard
found in people's recycling and at dumps, and race them across a channel and back to
see whose boat can make it the furthest :)
He began working with clay on the wheel in 2012 at Glen Echo Park in Bethesda, MD. He continued classes there through high school and attended Snow Farm Craft School during the summers where he expanded his knowledge of other 3-dimensional art forms like glass and metal. He graduated from Alfred University Cum Laude with a BFA in 2022. While he works in many mediums his passions have remained with clay for a while now and seem likely to continue to do so.
He is currently living in Bethesda, working from his home studio, and now starting to teach part-time :) He is available for commission by request with his past works visible on his Instagram @tuckermandigocraft.
Tucker Mandigo was born in 1999 in Washington D.C into a family that likes to make things and lived a childhood of creativity and experimentation.
The yearly cardboard boat race held by my moms' side of the family is a classic and a great example of this, in which we all try to build boats out of duct tape and old cardboard
found in people's recycling and at dumps, and race them across a channel and back to
see whose boat can make it the furthest :)
He began working with clay on the wheel in 2012 at Glen Echo Park in Bethesda, MD. He continued classes there through high school and attended Snow Farm Craft School during the summers where he expanded his knowledge of other 3-dimensional art forms like glass and metal. He graduated from Alfred University Cum Laude with a BFA in 2022. While he works in many mediums his passions have remained with clay for a while now and seem likely to continue to do so.
He is currently living in Bethesda, working from his home studio, and now starting to teach part-time :) He is available for commission by request with his past works visible on his Instagram @tuckermandigocraft.
Elena Osipian
Ceramics Instructor
Elena Osipian is a ceramic artist and instructor with over six years of experience teaching pottery to children and adults. Originally from Moscow and now teaching in the DMV area, Elena is known for guiding students through both wheel throwing and advanced hand-building techniques, often combining different approaches when it fits their ideas. She focuses on making the experience stress-free and exploratory, helping students connect with clay, try new techniques, and enjoy the process of discovery. Elena encourages everyone to add a personal touch to their pieces, making each creation truly special and one-of-a-kind, while developing their skills and artistic voice along the way.
Elena Osipian is a ceramic artist and instructor with over six years of experience teaching pottery to children and adults. Originally from Moscow and now teaching in the DMV area, Elena is known for guiding students through both wheel throwing and advanced hand-building techniques, often combining different approaches when it fits their ideas. She focuses on making the experience stress-free and exploratory, helping students connect with clay, try new techniques, and enjoy the process of discovery. Elena encourages everyone to add a personal touch to their pieces, making each creation truly special and one-of-a-kind, while developing their skills and artistic voice along the way.
Sue Decker
Ceramics Teacher
Sue Decker’s journey with pottery began as a heartfelt gift, her friends signed her up for a 10-week class at Hinckley Pottery (then in Adams Morgan), simply because they knew how much she loved it. That thoughtful gesture sparked a lifelong passion. Now, more than two decades later, Sue has stepped away from the corporate world to embrace life as a full-time potter. She creates vibrant, functional pieces designed to be part of your daily rituals, beautiful objects meant to be used and loved every single day.
Sue Decker’s journey with pottery began as a heartfelt gift, her friends signed her up for a 10-week class at Hinckley Pottery (then in Adams Morgan), simply because they knew how much she loved it. That thoughtful gesture sparked a lifelong passion. Now, more than two decades later, Sue has stepped away from the corporate world to embrace life as a full-time potter. She creates vibrant, functional pieces designed to be part of your daily rituals, beautiful objects meant to be used and loved every single day.
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