Shaping the Shoreline
Violet Cove, July 12th 2025
Femme Sole Builds Community Through Art, Story, and Environment
Long Island, NY — Ceramic artist and educator Jessamyn Go is proud to announce the expansion of her community-based ceramics project Shaping the Shoreline across Long Island. The pilot program launched July 12th, 2025. This pilot project was supported by Long Island Grants for the Arts through funds provided by the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by The Huntington Arts Council. This creative outreach initiative brings free hand-building clay workshops to diverse local communities with a focus on connection, imagination, and environmental awareness.
Through clay and conversation, Shaping the Shoreline creates space for community members of all ages to gather, create, and reflect on the deep relationship Long Islanders have with their environment.
Following the success of a sold out pilot workshop, Go is excited to announce new partnerships and locations made possible by the L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant supported by Optimum Business in partnership with Long Island Association Foundation. The 2nd workshop is scheduled to place August 22, 2025 at Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio founded by Jeremy Dennis artist and photographer located on the Shinnecock Indian Nation Reservation in Southampton. Guest artist Celeste Syas a community leader will be in attendance to share her experience with clay and lend her cultural insight to the workshop.
Each workshop is made accessible for the hearing impaired, and blends hand-building clay techniques with themes such as shoreline conservation, coastal resilience, cultural identity, and shared memory. Participants not only make art—they form bonds rooted in place, history, and shared care for community
"These workshops are more than a class in a studio setting" says Go. "They’re an invitation to step outside the 4 walls, slow down, to listen, and to shape something meaningful with your hands and your heart inspired by our environment and stories shared."
As Shaping the Shoreline grows, Jessamyn Go continues to work with artists, environmental stewards, and cultural leaders to bring creative opportunities to communities that may otherwise have limited access to arts programming.
To learn more about Shaping the Shoreline, upcoming events, or partnership opportunities, sign up for our newsletter or follow @femmesole on Instagram.
SHAPING THE SHORELINE
I’m so excited to share that Shaping the Shoreline is officially happening—and it’s my first-ever grant-funded project! I’m incredibly grateful to be supported by Long Island Grants for the Arts, with funding from the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, administered by Huntington Arts Council.
Shaping the Shoreline is a community project I’ve dreamed up to bring free clay workshops to beautiful Long Island waterfronts. It’s all about honoring the land, celebrating our local ecosystems, and inspiring people—kids and adults alike—to tap into their creativity and connect with the shoreline through sculpture.
The first workshop kicks off July 12th at Violet Cove in Mastic Beach, where I live and make my ceramic art. I’m thrilled to be joined by Maura Spery, former Mayor of Mastic Beach Village and current President of the Mastic Beach Conservancy, who’ll be sharing the amazing work they’re doing—like planting sugar kelp, seeding oysters, creating recreational trails, and restoring native species to help with flooding in our neighborhoods.
This event is free, open to all ages, and limited to 25 participants. It’ll all wrap up with a community exhibition at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library throughout August 2025.