Maria White is a Mexican American studio potter and independent filmmaker. White was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and also raised in Summerville, South Carolina. White first learned to make pottery while earning her degree in Art from Winthrop University. She continued to focus on ceramics with scholarship and studio assistant opportunities at Penland School of Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Craft, then went on to apprentice with sculptor and inventor, Michael Sherrill. White began her professional ceramics career in Los Angeles where she spent over a decade creating ceramics for celebrated chefs, interior designers and the sets of major motion pictures and television series. Her ceramics have earned the Award of Excellence from the American Craft Council and her pieces have been published and collected internationally. Outside of her ceramic work, White’s independent films have won awards from top international film festivals and she often collaborates with her husband, Matthew Mebane. While living in California, she co-founded the Los Angeles Womens' Film Collective to help empower women working across all filmmaking disciplines. White is a survivor of postpartum anxiety and depression and founded Mugs for Moms, a non-profit organization that is committed to raising awareness about maternal mental health and building a stronger, more caring community by offering free resources, healing and educational opportunities for moms. Mugs for Moms partners with Arts in Healing to provide art therapy to mothers with clay as the chosen medium for creating at Muddy Meetups. White is the mother of two and lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her family.
