Together, Mike Nelson and Josh Zeis make up Mothership Workshop, an art and furniture design studio. Friends for over 15 years, these two design, build and create works of art together in their Unicorn Park area studio. While they dabble in a number of mediums, they specialize in concrete pieces, creating countertops, sinks, furniture, accent pieces, planters and more. Nelson and Zeis both have fine arts backgrounds, so they approach what is typically an industrial craft with the care and intent of fine art. Being classically trained in various disciplines, the two longtime friends are able to accomplish a broad spectrum of design possibilities. Nelson currently works for Prairie Supply, a local supplier of construction equipment and concrete materials. And Zeis's current job is at Hebron Brick, where he is a landscape coordinator. Zeis also teaches ceramic classes at the Plains Art Museum and sometimes teaches sculpture at NDSU. Josh Zeis was first introduced to the medium of clay when he was deployed in Iraq with the US Army. Hebron Brick has a process where they donate extra clay from their brick plant to NDSU. Some of this same clay was sent over to Iraq by Zeis's brother and Zeis became infatuated with the material while overseas. Coming back to American soil, his story comes full circle as he now works at Hebron Brick. In his career at Prairie Supply, Nelson became the designated expert in the decorative concrete pieces that architects and contractors were requesting. "More and more, we got to realize that there's not a lot of people doing high-end concrete furniture in the area," said Nelson. "People would ask if I knew anybody that could do certain things and Josh and I sort of decided we could be the one to do it." Having discussed the idea of finding a workshop and creating pieces together for nearly a decade, it wasn't until 2018 that they officially started Mothership Workshop. Nelson welcomed us into the storage-unit-turnedworkshop with a tiny glass mug of freshly-brewed espresso in hand and apologies about the clutter. Within their workshop, located just across the street from Drekker's Brewhalla, they've created a haven that is uniquely them. The front "office space" includes sample tiles of color variations, finished experimental pieces, a painted Iron and Wine-esque self-portrait of Nelson and multiple awards from Frostival snow sculpture competitions. The studio space itself is spattered with concrete dust and beautiful works-in-progress. Color and texture tests line the shelves, quietly showcasing all these two men are capable of executing. This process of testing different patterns, finishes and shapes is part of Mothership's DNA. They embrace the anticipation of varying outcomes and continuously work to think further outside the proverbial box. "We don’t like
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precision, we like to leave at least some element of chance. Nothing is going to be perfect, the surfaces are always going to be a little bit flawed and that’s what makes it cool," said Nelson. "If we wanted a machinefinish, then we would do it with a machine." Mothership's time is split between custom commissions and personal experimentations. "In between jobs, when we are working on our own art and working on custom pieces, that's where we can kind of experiment," said Nelson. In their growing resume of commissioned projects, they've completed kitchen remodels, farmhouse sinks, custom furniture, large-scale planters and more. Their work especially lends itself to adjusting to unique measurements, curves and angles, perfect for tricky projects. "We like doing kitchen remodels. A lot of the time, the walls aren't perfectly right angles or there are sways, and we go in and template it and make sure what we make fits the curves and angles. I like having that and being able to make something so customized," said Zeis. The joy that problem-solving brings is part of what energizes the duo. Working to achieve the highest function in a space without giving up aesthetic or quality is always the goal. We've seen a shift in design and decor, where people have access to boundless inspiration, from television