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“I think you have what it takes to be an artist, Laura.”

This statement by longtime Biola University art professor and recent faculty emeritus Dan Callis, who began teaching in 1987, fueled his mentee. His mentee, a student at Biola at the time, grew up excelling at drawing, even hearing from her mother that she should pursue art. So she entered into the realm of creating art. 

From video editing to learning how to throw on a potter’s wheel, she found her way in fine arts and eventually returned to Biola to teach, following in his footsteps to become a professor in the Department of Art. Professor of ceramics and alumna Laura Brand (B.S. ’02) loves art and what can come from it.

“I love that you can make something with nothing,” said Brand. “I love that art is expressive and drives imagination. I love that art makes people better at problem solving and that it is beautiful. I love the feel of clay on my hands and that images appear on the page when I draw. It’s truly delightful and a gift only God can give.”

Brand enjoys focusing on craftsmanship when creating art, particularly pottery, and found herself making more at home during the pandemic. That’s when was born, her Etsy shop where shoppers find hand-crafted pieces including whimsical jars, carefully detailed platters and variously shaped and sized vases. The uniqueness of each handmade piece available in the shop is a testament to what Brand values in her art.

“My interest and research lies in the arts and crafts movement of the early 20th century; I think it was the last great movement that showcased beauty and human ability. Contemporarily, I think we have become very bland in our style choices,” said Brand. “I believe in the warmth of a home. I believe that a little mess makes things feel homey, and that items in the home should reflect our humanity, imperfection but desire for beauty. I make items that I hope find a place to live and thrive and are a part of everyday living.”

Brand’s current project is the largest commission she has received: designing, throwing and firing individual mugs for each member of the , one of Biola’s faithful giving societies. Alongside her second thrower, fellow alumna and one of her previous students, Lauren Kim (B.A. ’25), they are creating over 1,000 mugs. Brand’s next goal is to sell her pieces in bulk to coffee shops or restaurants.

Teaching ceramics to students at Biola feeds into Brand’s love for art and pottery. She enjoys teaching techniques that will help them properly play the ceramic “sport,” as she described it, where hand and body positions can make all the difference when crafting a pot.

“One of my favorite things is when I see the light go on in someone's brain. Usually it is a student who has been struggling for weeks and failing over and over,” said Brand. “I love coming over and showing them how to properly position their hand on the clay and watching the amazing ah-ha moment when they suddenly ‘get it’ and the clay does what it is supposed to.”

But Brand would say that her only passion, as much as she loves art and ceramics, is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, which she daily strives to do in her classroom. She begins her semesters by going through Romans 12:1-2 with her students, emphasizing what it means to follow God and not conform to the world. She referenced God being the potter and his followers being the clay when reflecting on how her students meditate on the gospel truth while doing ceramics.

“The most exciting thing is that ceramics is all about the biblical metaphors,” said Brand. “It's about our relationship to the Lord. It is about being made of the earth and being perfected by the potter. It is about falling and failing and having that great potter resurrect and fix and cleanse me in the fire. It comes down to the fact that I need to submit myself to the potter, I need to let him do the work, or I will be a vessel without a proper use, one rejected, as the Bible says, by the potter.”

Brand is no exception among those at Biola thinking biblically about everything.

At Biola, the curriculum is biblically integrated in every subject, from art to science to history. Biola believes that art is a gift — a God-given form of expression and communication. In Biola's Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A) program in art, students are equipped with the aesthetic, technical and conceptual skills needed for success in various art practices, taught by faculty passionate about equipping their students both technically and spiritually, like Brand.

Applications for Fall 2026 are open — now is the time to take the step toward pursuing higher education at Biola University. Apply today.

Written by Sarah Dougher, media relations specialist. For more information, email media.relations@biola.edu.