Yonnah Ben Levy, Faculty

Jennifer Ballard (aka Yonnah Ben Levy) has been a working artist as well as a teacher for 47 years. She was raised in Seattle, attended Whitman College and studied art and ceramics at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. She then received a Masters of Art for Teachers from University of Washington. In her early career, she specialized in wildlife, especially birds. Her bronzes were exhibited at the Museum of Native American Culture in Spokane and other shows. In 1981 she moved to Israel, where she acquired her present name. For 17 years she worked in studios in media including miniature paintings on parchment scrolls, ceramics, jewelry, and carving in a harp factory. She also taught art in the public schools. Returning to the U.S. In 1998, she settled with her husband, Chaim Bezalel, in Stanwood, where they established Stanwood House as a studio, gallery, and art school. Several of her students have gone on to professional careers in ceramics. Her own and her collaborative works with Chaim have included commissions and purchases by hospitals, corporations, hotels, and private individuals in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the country as well as exhibits in galleries, colleges, and museums. She is a member of the Washington State Potters Association and has been published in Pottery Making Illustrated.