Jess Thompson

Jess Thompson is the Co-Director of Cider Creek Collective, a ceramics community in Albion, CA, which she co-founded with her husband, woodfire potter Nick Schwartz. They live there with their two young children, Archer and Phoenix. Jess holds a BFA in painting from Penn State and an MFA in ceramics from Alfred University. She grew up in the Rust Belt of Northeastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, surrounded by four generations of industrial china factory workers. In her 20s, she moved to Northern California to apprentice as a production potter. There, she developed a passion for organic agriculture, homesteading, and environmentalism, and has since dedicated her life to fostering healthy community living through clay, art-making, and a deep connection to the land.