MudGirls Studios
Venture Overview
MudGirls Studios is a creator of high-quality and functional ceramic art and architectural tiles made by the hands of women transitioning out of poverty and into lives of empowerment and self-sufficiency. Founder Dorrie Papademetriou, a fine artist with a BFA from Bowling Green State University and former curator of the Noyes Museum of Art, has long believed that art is transformative. Through decades of community arts programming in schools, assisted living centers, and rehabilitation facilities, she saw the need for dignified transitional employment for chronically unemployed women. MudGirls Studios exists to combine art, income generation, and social change.
Website: www.mudgirlsstudios.org
Venture Issue Area: Economic Development
Venture Headquarters: Linwood, New Jersey
Venture Founder
Dorrie Papademetriou has always been passionate about two things: art and social change. After growing up in Toledo, Ohio, and earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University, Dorrie moved to Boston to begin her creative design and art career. While raising her children and living abroad, she wrote and illustrated four children’s books, began working in community arts programs, and later served as curator of the Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University. Always believing that art is transformative, Dorrie implemented arts programming for people in need at schools, assisted living centers, and rehabilitation centers. In 2016 Dorrie founded MudGirls Studios, a ceramic art studio that celebrates a love of clay, the creative process, and the chance for women to transform their own lives. MudGirls Studios’ goal is to assist chronically unemployed women through transitional employment. As an avid community activist and a leader in several diverse communities and non-profit efforts, Dorrie has served as President of Philoptochos (Friends of the Poor) at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, board member of Haven, Beat the Streets, as a member of Atlantic County Women’s Advisory Board, and a member of the Atlantic County Women’s Hall of Fame.
