Coral Springs museum helps local mom turn creative passion into successful ceramics business

Coral Springs, Florida – What began as a quiet pandemic pastime for a stay-at-home mom watching a British television competition has now grown into a full creative career, thanks in large part to the Coral Springs Museum of Art and its year-round education programs.

For Ines Feliciano Delapi, a ceramicist and instructor at the museum today, the journey started with a simple fascination. During the early months of COVID-19 in 2020, she found comfort in watching “The Great Pottery Showdown”, a show where contestants transform clay into intricate works of art under pressure and time limits. At the time, she never imagined it would reshape her life.

“It was a comfort show for me,” Ines said.

Delapi had moved from New York to Florida back in 2006, later settling into life as a DIY-focused stay-at-home mother raising two children in Coral Springs. For more than a decade, her creative energy stayed mostly at home—craft projects, household improvements, and family routines filled her days. But something shifted during the pandemic years, when routines slowed and time at home expanded.

Like many people during that period, she began searching for something meaningful to fill the quiet gaps in her day. That search eventually led her to ceramics.

Through a family connection, Delapi learned about the Coral Springs Museum of Art, a local institution known not only for exhibitions but also for its structured art education programs. The museum offers year-round classes in drawing, painting, and ceramics, along with free access to rotating exhibitions. For someone curious about clay but unsure where to begin, it became an unexpected doorway.

Read also: James S. Hunt Elementary earns first A school grade in 14 years after long improvement journey

When pandemic restrictions eased in 2022 and her children became more independent, Delapi decided to take a single ceramics workshop at the museum. That first class changed everything.

“I ended up getting hooked from one class,” Ines said.

From there, her involvement quickly expanded. Over the next two to three years, she enrolled in nearly every ceramics course available, ranging from wheel throwing to hand-building techniques. What began as experimentation soon revealed something deeper: a natural talent and a strong, growing passion for working with clay.

She described ceramics as something that never runs out of possibilities.

“As someone who was searching for some creative outlet and nothing ever stuck, once I started to do pottery, I realized how unlimited it is,” Ines said. “You can be as creative as your imagination lets you be and you can’t get bored with it.”

But the transformation wasn’t only artistic. It also became personal. Through classes, Delapi built friendships, developed confidence, and slowly stepped into a new identity that existed beyond motherhood.

“This has been an incredible way to open my world up and make friendships with people who I’ve connected with and shared interests with,” she said. “This has been the biggest benefit for me.”

Read also: Hotel meeting with “14-year-old” lands Coral Springs man in jail during trafficking sting operation

Museum staff noticed her dedication and encouraged her to start creating her own pieces for sale. That support pushed her from student to entrepreneur. Soon, she launched her own small business, IFD Ceramics & Art, producing handmade vases, mugs, bowls, and decorative items. Her work has since appeared at artisan markets and vendor fairs, including the museum’s Pine & Palm Market, a popular seasonal event ahead of the holidays. She also operates an Etsy shop to reach broader customers.

By fall 2025, her role expanded again in an unexpected direction. Museum staff invited her to teach. Today, Delapi leads classes in hand-building techniques and intermediate wheel throwing, along with monthly “Clay Dates” designed for beginners exploring ceramics for the first time.

Now an instructor herself, she says her goal is to pass on the same sense of discovery that first pulled her into the studio. She also hopes to inspire other adults to pursue creative paths they may have never considered.

“Learning Ceramics has given me a separate identity; now people don’t just know me as just ‘mom,’ but they know me as a Ceramicist and an Instructor,” Ines said. “It has opened up the world to me in a lot of ways that weren’t there before.”

With new classes opening for registration in August and an early bird discount available through July 10, the Coral Springs Museum of Art continues to position itself as more than just a gallery space. Located at 2855 Coral Springs Drive, the museum’s education programs remain open to both youth and adults, offering pathways like the one that turned a hobby into a full creative career.