Biography
This earlier biography described a Minnesota upbringing, an unexpected turn from pre-medical study to pottery, graduate study, university teaching, and a move into full-time studio work.
From biology to studio art
Kristin grew up in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, a suburb described in the historical record as sandwiched between farmland and the Twin Cities. She entered college intending to graduate in biology, complete pre-medical preparation, and continue toward veterinary medicine. The turning point came during her junior year, when she was one of two wait-listed students accepted into a beginning pottery class.
The account says she “fell in love with the material and process,” switched her major to Studio Art, and graduated with her class in 2000. That sequence explains the site's emphasis on the physical experience of clay: material and process arrived before career language.
Graduate study and teaching
Graduate studies were completed in Pennsylvania in 2004. The biography then described a return to Minnesota to lead a university ceramics program in St. Paul for five years. The institution's name is generalized here, as are third-party names throughout this reference site. The historical point is the movement from graduate study into teaching and program leadership.
The old biography concluded that she left university teaching to become a full-time studio potter and mother, working from a home studio in Maplewood, Minnesota. That location differs from the later Eden Prairie references on About and Home. The difference reflects distinct moments in the site's life.
A time-bounded version
This page should not be read as a current biography. It reflects the 2020 biography without adding later credentials, affiliations, awards, or personal details. The longer Biography page presents the later version, while Resume retains the original section order of the historical curriculum vitae.
The accompanying image is an editorial scene of functional ceramics, chosen because the site repeatedly connected pottery with daily use. It is not evidence of any object, collection, or body of work.