Fancy Donut

Fancy Donut

Kimlan Phan, M1, Class of 2027

I’ve been working with clay since high school where I primarily focused on hand building and sculptures. After starting undergrad at UMKC, I continued ceramics at the KC Clay Guild, a local nonprofit pottery studio. There, I forced myself to learn throwing on the wheel, which has now become my main practice. During the pandemic, when I was cut off from the studio and this outlet I had been relying on, I was in a very dark place mentally. After a lot of coaxing from friends and family, I returned to ceramic work, and during my gap year, I spent almost all of my free time working with clay. In the process, I found a community among my fellow potters. The Fancy Donut was born from a series of challenges I created for myself.

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Your Life is Now

Your Life is Now

Riley Burghart, Nurse Anesthesia, Class of 2026

I think we all have moments in our lives, myself included, where we are constantly running around chasing our dreams thinking, “If I can just get/do/be this, THEN I’ll be content.” Working as an ICU nurse, I learned very quickly that many individuals do not ever slow down to be grateful for the small blessings they have until those blessings are taken away. Though these thoughts are part of the human condition, I challenge you to change your mindset. There will always be more things to do, be, and achieve. But you only have one “today.” 

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Chewelry

Chewelry

Alexandra Davidson, M3, Class of 2024

I enjoyed fashion and accessorizing from a young age. As my baby became more curious and dextrous, he began to pull and chew my necklaces. I was worried about his safety, as well as potential damage to my necklaces, but was sad at the prospect of no longer being able to wear one. I combed Etsy looking for baby and toddler-friendly necklaces and couldn’t find anything that I felt fit my style and didn’t look cheesy. I found a company that sells nontoxic silicone beads designed for chewing, and started designing my own kiddo-friendly necklaces, also known as “chewelry.” I started just making pieces for myself, then friends, then started a small shop on Etsy, ChewtiqueUnique. You can also follow ChewtiqueUnique on Instagram to see a variety of the designs I have made.

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Fairy Tea

Fairy Tea

Edith Sigler, M2, Class of 2025

I started doing paper quilling a couple of years ago. Quilling uses rolled, thin strips of paper to make 2D or 3D art. I really enjoy making miniature designs and 3D figurines and objects. In this picture, the fairies, table, teapot, and teacups are all made solely of paper and glue. For scale, the teacups are less than 4mm tall.

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Quilling

Quilling

Edith Sigler, M1, Class of 2025

Quilling is a form of paper art that traditionally uses only paper strips and glue.  I learned about it when I was very young at a festival in Ohio, but I never thought of it as something I could do.  Several years ago, I was given a quilling kit for Christmas.  It wasn’t until a very long Christmas break due to the pandemic last year that I started to learn how to do quilling.  I loved it, and after learning some basic designs from a book, I started to try to make 3D objects based on pictures or real objects.  The first thing I made without a pattern was a miniature mountain dulcimer for my grandma’s birthday.  As a musician, I was careful to try to get the correct relative spacing of the frets.  Now I love to make various quilling projects when I have time and give them to friends and family, especially those who I didn’t see much in the last year.  

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