Located at 904 S Gee Street in Jonesboro, Arkansas, Boo and Finni is a new clay center founded by local artists Just Emerson and his wife, Jennifer Arnold. Their vision is to provide the community with a creative outlet through the versatile medium of clay. Thanks to a generous donation from the Ramsons Art Partnership, they’ve been able to bring their dream to life. Ramsons made in-kind material donations totaling $5,000 in value and also lent Emerson shop space to fabricate specialty items for the clay center. The total donation had a market value of $6,000.
Emerson, originally from Massachusetts, developed a love for carpentry while working alongside his father, a carpenter and general contractor. His passion for BMX also played a significant role in his life, exposing him to diverse cultures and communities. He began to build dirt jumps in the woods for BMX, which he found deeply fulfilling. “The functionality in building things is something that I’ve always gravitated towards,” said Emerson.
Emerson initially pursued a career in art education at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2004. It wasn’t until he stumbled upon a man throwing a large pot on a pottery wheel that he discovered his true calling in ceramics. Intrigued, he gave it a try and has been dedicated to ceramics ever since. “I had built all those dirt jumps as a kid, which were essentially made of clay. There are similarities in the sense that you are working with your hands to create something that serves a purpose, whether it’s carpentry or ceramics” explained Emerson
After earning his BFA from MassArt, Emerson applied to graduate school, creating a portfolio that included over 200 clay bike frames and 1,000 porcelain hammers to represent his BMX passion and several ceramic hammers to symbolize his carpentry background.
“This was the first time I felt like I was making artwork that told a story,” he recalls.
In 2012, Emerson was accepted into the graduate program at Alfred University and earned his MFA in Ceramics, where he met Jen, who shared the same passion for ceramics. The name “Boo and Finni” comes from a sketchbook they created in graduate school, filled with their ideas and vision for a future business.
Boo and Finni offers a variety of classes and workshops that can be found on their website https://www.booandfinni.com/
