Emily Gunning was born and raised in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art from Central Michigan University in May of 2019 and immediately following attended a Post-Baccalaureate program at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Being that her mother is also an artist, she began working in clay at a young age. After her first ceramics course in undergrad, she knew it was something that she needed to do for the rest of her life. Emily has spent time making art in both Italy and China. In China, she took part in West Virginia University’s “Ceramics in China” summer program, where she was able to study at Pottery Workshop Jingdezhen. She soon thereafter was invited back to Jingdezhen as a student ambassador for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Art at Taoxichuan Ceramic Arts Avenue’s Autumn Ceramics Festival International Arts Market. Emily worked as a Clay Intern at Penland School of Craft in Penland, North Carolina and a studio assistant at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.