about livermush

Livermush Studios was founded by two Charlotte natives who have spent their lives dreaming of contributing to the city’s vibrant art scene.

Ava, Owner and Director of the Livermush ceramics program, has been working in clay for 14 years. She spent the past nine years in Brooklyn, NY, where she worked across five pottery studios, gaining experience in every role the ceramic world offers. Her journey from student to technician to instructor ultimately inspired her long held goal of opening a studio of her own.

Patrick Brown, Co Owner and Director of the screen printing program, has been creating artwork since childhood. His love for doodling and visual storytelling naturally evolved into screen printing.

Together, Ava and Patrick created Livermush Studios as a place for community, creativity, and the love of clay.

Here’s a little story about how we landed on the name Livermush. When we first started planning the studio, we had absolutely no idea what to call it. But I did have three simple rules: No street names. No last names. And nothing related to clay or pottery. So we set up a brainstorming session using Pat’s old-school projector and some Vis-a-Vis markers and started jotting down anything that came to mind. After a few drinks, the ideas really started flowing. That’s when our friend wandered through the yard and casually announced that the dog poop smelled like livermush. If you’re not from North Carolina, livermush is a regional staple. If you grew up here, your parents or grandparents probably fried it up every weekend morning. It’s basically pork scraps and cornmeal formed into a glorious sausage like patty.
And as if fate wanted to seal the deal, our studio is right down the street from Neese's Sausage home of the best livermush around. The more we sat with it, the more perfect it felt. Our whole vision is about blending a bunch of different media and creative practices into one space just like the mish-mash that makes livermush what it is. So we embraced it.