Artisan of the Month: Julia LaMarca
January 2026 | Ceramics
Islip, NY
The Reboli Center for Art & History is pleased to feature ceramist Julia LaMarca of Islip, New York as our January Artisan of the Month. A deeply passionate clay artist with over a decade of experience, LaMarca’s work reflects a lifelong dedication to creativity, craftsmanship, and community.
Julia earned her degree in Fine Arts from SUNY Old Westbury, where her early work focused on large-scale ink paintings inspired by stories of women and water. Over time, her artistic practice expanded into ceramics, where she found a lasting and meaningful connection to clay. For the past ten years, ceramics has been her primary medium, ranging from functional pieces such as mugs and plates to expressive figurative and sculptural works.
Her personal work is influenced by surrealism, mythology, the human mind, and the natural world, often incorporating female figures intertwined with elements of nature and subtle undertones of environmentalism. Whether sculptural or functional, Julia’s ceramic pieces balance beauty, intention, and storytelling.
In addition to her studio practice, Julia has played an active role in arts education and community engagement. In her former role as Director of Education at One River School of Art + Design, she championed contemporary art education, emphasizing creative exploration, innovative curriculum, and meaningful connections between students and working artists for nearly half a decade. She also represented One River in community initiatives through the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce, advocating for public art and creative collaboration before retiring her career as an Education Director to pursue her art full time.
Outside of the studio, Julia finds inspiration in the outdoors, hiking, kayaking, and spending time by the water, which continues to inform both her artistic themes and her approach to making. Her work reflects a belief in art as a tool for connection, self-expression, and transformation.
We are proud to showcase Julia LaMarca as our January Artisan of the Month and invite visitors to experience her thoughtful, beautifully crafted ceramic work at the Reboli Center.