Salt Studio + Shop was founded in 2024 by Alice Rouse, a Graphic Designer and Photographer with her MFA from Boston University and her BLA (B. Landscape Architecture) from the University of Rhode Island. Her career has taken a winding path, from working in Landscape Architecture to becoming a Brand Designer at Converse and then on to teaching at Boston University, Suffolk University and most recently, Ipswich High School.

Alice has always enjoyed making things—from an early age her and her mother would sit on the couch at night making jewelry—learning how to wrap wire and work with finishing tools in middle school. This love for making all kinds of things led to her unease with the ‘Art’ community and its perceived exclusivity and disregard for certain ’types’ of creativity. Alice believes that creativity and making comes in all forms, from ancient handcrafts to modern mediums—and that all of them are of value to us. Working with our hands to actually make something unlocks a special kind of feeling that cannot be recreated. It was this intuition, that people needed a more open and approachabe entry to creative community, that inspired Alice to create the studio and the shop. Alice hopes the studio can be a home for all things creative, from casual craft to professional pursuits. Her background in Landscape Architecture and sustainability has influenced the curriculum of the studio and the purchasing of the shop to weave repurposed and recycled materials into our process and products as much as possible.

Alice lives in Ipswich with her husband Alex and 2 little makers, Luna & Leo. You can find her teaching many of the workshops and classes and minding shop. Come say hello!