I live and work in Prince Georges County, MD, in the Washington, DC metro area. I received a BFA in sculpture from Auburn University and an MFA in ceramics from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. I developed an interest in digging clays that has led to collaborations with soil scientists, work that explores intersections of art and science and work stemming from responsible relationships to soil and land. My work is included in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum,The US Department of State, The Art Bank Collection of The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and in many private collections. Publications include a chapter for Soil and Culture, an interview in Field to Palette: Dialogues on Soil and Art in the Anthropocene, and contributions to Wild Clay: Creating ceramics and glazes from natural and found resources.
Recent work includes a large-scale mapping/ earth work for MGM National Harbor in Maryland using clay and artifacts dug from the site. Exhibitions include Swept Away: Dust, Ashes and Dirt at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, Unsettling Extractions at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond and Dig Deeper: [some] Art, Science and History of Troy Clay at the Arts Center of the Capital Region. I am the Founder and Director of Red Dirt Studio, an artist incubator in Mount Rainier, MD; Co-Director/ founding member of NY Urban Soils Institute’s Art Extension; and Boardmember of Gateway Community Development Corporation in the MD Gateway Arts District. In all three capacities, I appreciate the opportunities to collaborate in support of new work and ideas.
Education
1992 MFA, Ceramics, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
1989 BFA, Sculpture, Auburn University, Summa Cum Laude