When Bethany Hensley moved from Phoenix, Ariz. back to Iowa, she didn’t just bring her belongings — she also brought her love for clay and her hopes to grow a creative community. Now serving as a ceramics instructor at the Stew Makerspace, Hensley is not only shaping pottery, but also a space for the Grinnell community to discover the artistic parts of themselves they didn’t know were there.
“A lot of people don’t know that they’re creative until they try something and really connect with it,” Hensley said. “Wheel throwing is one of those things that a lot of people are surprised at how much they connect with. It’s like therapy in the crazy world that we’ve got going on right now.”
Hensley’s journey into ceramics wasn’t immediate. She grew up in New Sharon, Iowa, where she considered a path in music. She played five different instruments in…
