Art Studio Staff

David B. Dahlquist

David Dahlquist is a nationally recognized public artist and teacher. His commissions for private, public, and institutional clients range from tile work and sculpture to major architectural installations. Since 1988, he has completed more than 30 large-scale public commissions across the country. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Art with honors from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Alfred, New York. In 1983 he became the Artist-in-Residence at the Des Moines Art Center. David also served as an Assistant Professor in the Art and Design Department at ISU from 1987 to 1993. During that time, he developed a program in ceramics and sculpture, including a “hands-on” studio for architecture students. In 1994, David established Dahlquist Clayworks, Inc., which became a part of RDG Planning & Design in 2004. He now leads the RDG Dahlquist Art Studio, a comprehensive design and fabrication studio with a staff of eight professional artists.

Brian Frederiksen

Brian is an artist from Des Moines. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Chicago. He has been teaching classes in the Des Moines area for over ten years. He has had a variety of art shows, displaying his pottery, paintings, and drawings.

Chris Rodi

Born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. Chris Rodi currently resides in Des Moines, IA. Wandering through kitchens, the sciences, and engineering, Rodi found a culmination of passions in the ceramic arts. His current works are comprised of ceramic wall work and sculpture involving personal and social narratives. The work is a development of content and context within the interplay of form, line, and color. Making work under the belief that one firing is rarely the solution for a surface. Multi-firing and image transfer techniques have become a way for the artist to develop depth in both imagery and meaning.

After receiving his M.F.A. in Ceramics from the University of Delaware in 2004, Chris Rodi joined RDG Dahlquist Art Studio as Education Coordinator. As an Adjunct Instructor of Ceramics to the Des Moines, IA area he has developed a following of students willing to experiment with new ideas and techniques. In addition to being a studio artist, Chris Rodi is involved as an artist and designer in architectural restoration, as well as regional and national public art projects.

John Swant

John is an artist from the Des moines area. Having studied a variety of art form including wood, metal, ceramics, painting, and many others, John has a wealth of practical experience. As a member of the EVAC (East Village Art Coalition), John has participated in a variety of local art shows and enjoys sharing his knowledge with his students..

Justin Richert

Justin is a studio potter from Des Moines, Iowa. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He taught at the Art Center in Cedar falls from 2003-2005, and has been teaching clay classes in the Des Moines area ever since. He enjoys making and selling his pottery and giving demonstrations for various different festivals and kiln openings.

Kate Chandler

Kate was born and raised in Elkader, a small town in northeastern Iowa, where she was brought up with a rich background in the arts. Kate attended Missouri Southern State University, where she worked on a Bachelor of Arts, emphasizing in Ceramics and Sculpture. While there, she spent two summers at the Silver Dollar City Pottery Shop in Branson, Missouri, working as a production potter and honing her throwing skills. After graduating with her BA, Kate worked for a summer as an artist and teaching classes for RDG Dahlquist Art Studio before heading out to Montana State University for graduate studies in Ceramic Sculpture. Now that Iowa has called her back to her roots, Kate has once again joined the RDG Dahlquist Art Studio team, where she teaches and works as an artisan creating art for public commissions.