Beulah, CO
(b. 1964, Washington)

Sumi von Dassow is a Beulah-based potter, ceramic artist, teacher, and writer. She creates vibrant functional pottery, burnished and pit-fired vessels, and ceramic sculptures from her studio, Beulah Valley Pottery. A recognized expert in pit firing and burnishing, Sumi has led workshops across the country and frequently writes for Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated.

Before moving to Beulah in 2022, she spent 22 years as head of the pottery program at Washington Heights Art Center in Lakewood, Colorado. Her work has been exhibited nationally, winning awards in juried shows such as Feats of Clay and the Monarch National Ceramic Competition. She has also authored multiple books, including In the Potter’s Kitchen and Low-firing and Burnishing. 

Sumi’s pottery is featured in several permanent collections, including the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts. Her commissioned work includes a tile installation at the Foothills Art Center. A lifelong artist, she studied ceramics at the University of Washington and San Francisco State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1987.