In Kelly Reichardt’s new film, Showing Up, Cynthia Lahti’s figurative sculptures steal the show. In this special edition of The Queue, we spoke to Portland, Oregon–based Lahti about how she became involved in the film, what she taught star Michelle Williams about ceramics, and how the obsessive pursuit of beauty makes for great movies.

Kiva Ford’s eye-popping sculptures and precise scientific implements are masterpieces in glass. In The Queue, the South Bend, Indiana–based glass artist talks about his education in glassblowing, the challenges and puzzles of assembling complex sculptures in a fragile medium, and a tool that makes it possible.

Hyunsoo Alice Kim weaves innovative materials—many of her own design—into traditional Korean forms. In The Queue, the Seoul- and New York–based artist, researcher, educator, and designer talks about a historic Korean hat, how technological tools enable her practice, and her work with digital fabrication.

Juan Barroso’s vessels carry stories of immigrant labor, both within their forms and painted on their surfaces. In The Queue, the Tennessee-based artist shares why he makes functional vessels, the delayed gratification of pottery, and his favorite artists working in clay.

Margaret Cross’s jewelry holds memories and remains, connecting the living and the dead. In The Queue, the Brooklyn-based artist shares her emotional experiences creating mourning jewelry, the tool that has become an extension of her arm, and the death-related art projects that bring her closer to her loved ones.

Virgil Ortiz crafts a futuristic vision of the past with traditional Cochiti pottery. In The Queue, the Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico–based ceramist and fashion designer shares his favorite ceramists who work on a grand scale, the science fiction series that inspires his work, and how Cochiti pottery carries tradition and history.