Dark Bodies Pottery is temporarily closed while the shop owner deals with health challenges.

Featured collection

  • Mahogany - Tri-Tone Plate
    Ceramic piece created by Nicole Akoukou Thompson
    Regular price
    $28.99
    Sale price
    $28.99
    Regular price
    Unit price
    per 
    Sold out
  • Regina - Sandy Cereal Bowl
    Regular price
    $27.99
    Sale price
    $27.99
    Regular price
    Unit price
    per 
    Sold out
  • Qita - Hand-Carved Every day Bowl
    Regular price
    $27.99
    Sale price
    $27.99
    Regular price
    Unit price
    per 
    Sold out
  • Xena - Standout Bowl
    Regular price
    $27.99
    Sale price
    $27.99
    Regular price
    Unit price
    per 
    Sold out
  • Seraphina - Blue-Marked Sandwich Plate
    Ceramic piece created by Nicole Akoukou Thompson
    Regular price
    $27.99
    Sale price
    $27.99
    Regular price
    Unit price
    per 
    Sold out
  • Topaz - Stunning Palm-Sized Bowl
    Regular price
    $24.99
    Sale price
    $24.99
    Regular price
    Unit price
    per 
    Sold out
  • Toni - Splashy Finger Bowl
    Regular price
    $19.99
    Sale price
    $19.99
    Regular price
    Unit price
    per 
    Sold out
  • Taylour - Hand-built Dish
    Regular price
    $12.99
    Sale price
    $12.99
    Regular price
    Unit price
    per 
    Sold out
  • Trio of Bonitas
    Regular price
    $10.99
    Sale price
    $10.99
    Regular price
    Unit price
    per 
    Sold out

Handmade by Nicole Akoukou

Nicole Akoukou Thompson is a Black writer, ceramicist and marketer hailing from the Southside of Chicago. Her African American mother and Ghanaian father are educators, writers and philanthropists—and they instilled in her those traits.

Nicole Akoukou Thompson began writing and creating at a young age, drafting lengthy “novels” in composition notebooks about family and fantasy worlds. During her years at Knox College, where she majored in Creative Writing, she discovered an equivalent love for Gender and Women Studies, as well as Ceramic Studies.

She began her pottery journey with slab work and coil work, but quickly graduated to wheel-throwing on a kick-wheel. Today, Nicole Akoukou Thompson is a freelance writer, marketer, and small-batch ceramicist. She practices pottery from her garage/studio, and spends countless hours developing Dark Bodies Pottery into a rewarding manifestation of all of her passions.

Learn more about Nicole Akoukou Thompson's other interests via her personal website, where you'll learn about her writing, crafts, and other non-pottery efforts. If you're interested in a deeper connection, become a patron!

About Dark Bodies Pottery

Dark Bodies Pottery is a Black woman-owned Chicago-based small-batch operation. Founded in 2021 by Nicole Akoukou Thompson, Dark Bodies Pottery creates a variety of ornate, unique, and beautifully devised wheel-thrown ceramic wares. Adding luster, richness and color to the homes of recipients, the vessels crafted in the Dark Bodies Pottery studio are meant to be treasured, gifted, and inherited.

About the Pieces

Color, shape and texture choices are intentional. As the name of the business suggests, the artist has always been drawn to darker bodies of clay and the use of dark glazes.

Each piece is unique and artist-touched, molded and carved by hand. This means, while there will be slight variations in color, size and shape, collections of works will be recognizable as such. Also, quality and character never suffer.

About Artist Influence

Expect charm, revelry, romance and joy from each piece. Inspiration is drawn from whimsy, travel, introspection, the robustness of family, Chicago, the love of all things gothic and bohemian, Ghanaian roots, and literature --specifically, the creative works of Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni, Zora Neal Hurston, Esmeralda Santiago, Ntozake Shange, and Zadie Smith.

gifting popup image

🎁 GIFT WRAP