Clay artist Dee Mangum opened Lone Star Clay Studio in May 2025. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
To clay artist Dee Mangum, Lone Star Clay Studio is more than a business; it is her lifelong dream and a community outlet.
“I decided to use my retirement and start a business. So it doesn't even feel like work. I feel like I get to play and help people find their passion in art,” Mangum said. “And I can make my own stuff and be a part of our community in Montgomery as part of the Texas artists.”
How it happened
Mangum said her passion with clay started during her childhood years while playing with clay in her own backyard. Soon after her parents noticed her fascination with clay, she began experimenting with modeling clay, making small animals and cakes.
Although Mangum did not choose to pursue an artistic career, as an undergrad, she began working at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, making pottery for the museum's exhibits. Today, she is the museum’s history demonstrator, where she is able to teach kids about Montgomery's history while interacting with clay.
Lone Star Clay Studio offers private lessons and team building services. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
In addition to her experience with pottery, Mangum said her teaching experience comes from her time as a technology teacher.
After retiring from teaching, Mangum said there was nothing left to do but fulfill her lifelong dream to practice art full-time, leading her to open her own studio, Lone Star Clay Studio, in May 2025.
Dee Mangum guides students through the basics of hand building clay. (Jovanna Aguilar/Community Impact)
What's special about it
While being able to spend her day practicing her passion, at Lone Star Clay Studio, Mangum walks people through the basics of hand-building clay through private lessons, artists’ workshops and team building services.
From the basics of clay to processing and glazing, Mangum said, through her studio, she teaches people of all skill levels. The community ceramic studio also offers a variety of ceramics for purchase as well as custom-made items, ideal for personalized gifts.
“Out of all the things that I make, when somebody comes to me and asks me to make an urn for one of their loved ones, I mean, that's like the greatest honor, to make their final resting place,” Mangum said. “And so I made my parents’ [urns]. They're still both still living. So it feels kind of morbid, and they requested that, but, you know, they're planning ahead ... and that's probably some of the most special pieces I've made.”
