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The Ohio University Ceramics department is committed to developing individuals who challenge contemporary standards while producing work of exceptional craftsmanship.

A huge thank you to Brad and Cathy Schwieger for inviting our students for a studio tour! Brad Schwieger
09/30/2026

A huge thank you to Brad and Cathy Schwieger for inviting our students for a studio tour! Brad Schwieger

A huge thank you to Brett Kern for visiting our program this week! Our students learned so much watching Brett’s mold ma...
09/18/2026

A huge thank you to Brett Kern for visiting our program this week! Our students learned so much watching Brett’s mold making and slip casting demos, as well as enjoyed an amazing 3-D artist talk!
Thank you, Brett! 🦖

We are thrilled to have Brett Kern as a visiting artist next week! Feel free to stop by any time during demos, and be su...
09/11/2026

We are thrilled to have Brett Kern as a visiting artist next week!
Feel free to stop by any time during demos, and be sure to catch his artist talk at 5:30pm!

Re-introducing 3rd year MFA Sam McCall!Sam McCall is a ceramic artist born and raised in southern Utah. He received his ...
09/11/2026

Re-introducing 3rd year MFA Sam McCall!

Sam McCall is a ceramic artist born and raised in southern Utah. He received his BFA from Utah State University in 2021 and has since completed residencies at the Red Lodge Clay Center, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, and the Sawtooth School for Visual Arts. His work has been exhibited across the United States, and in 2025 he was recognized as one of Ceramics Monthly’s Emerging Artists. His current work explores objects as material archives of time, place, and touch, reflecting the enduring capacity of handmade things to connect individual experience with cultural and historical continuity.

Welcome back Sam!

Re-introducing 3rd year MFA, Matt Skelly!Matthew Skelly is a visual artist originally from California. Currently, his pr...
09/10/2026

Re-introducing 3rd year MFA, Matt Skelly!

Matthew Skelly is a visual artist originally from California. Currently, his practice is focused on hand-built functional and sculptural ceramic objects adorned with decorative illustrative surfaces. 

His work has been featured in exhibitions across the United States and internationally, including the International Ceramics Competition in Mino, Japan and the Taiwan Ceramics Biennale in New Taipei City, Taiwan, both in 2024.

He has received various honors, including the Innovator Award at the 33rd Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National, the Studio Potter Merit Award at the 2025 NCECA Juried Student Exhibition, and the Best in Show Prize at the 2026 Earth & Fire exhibition.

“My work is an exploration of ritual, apophenia (the tendency for humans to find false patterns in random noise), and the function of individuals within complex systems. Other topics such as pilgrimage, technological progress, cults, and propaganda also inform the work.”

Looking forward to your show, Matt!

Re-introducing 2nd year MFA, Holly Matthews!Holly Matthews is a ceramic sculptor with a background in painting. She is p...
09/09/2026

Re-introducing 2nd year MFA, Holly Matthews!

Holly Matthews is a ceramic sculptor with a background in painting. She is pursuing her Master of Fine Arts degree in Ceramics at Ohio University, with the long-term goal of becoming a professor. She is from Georgia, where she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting, from Columbus State University. Her work has evolved over the years, maintaining underlying interest in themes of the oppression of women and striving to free women from the shackles of the patriarchy. She uses her skills in both ceramics and painting to create finished works.

“My work focuses on using symbols of femininity to recenter women and our voice, working to describe our narrative and the experiences of being a woman, while working to subvert symbols associated with gender roles assigned to women, as well as using the n**e form into symbols of empowerment and self-ownership.
Referencing goddess figures, I work to distinguish the changing body of women as we age, as opposed to the body or figure that is more attainable as a girl and is popularized by western patriarchal culture.
I reference body art as a way to reclaim bodily autonomy, and the idea of decorative arts being considered “women’s work”. 
I reference domesticity and femininity, using decoration and surface adornment inspired by wallpaper patterns. I also have begun to address the doll as a symbol of femininity, as well as embracing craft; the difference in art and craft is sexism. I also am interested in kitsch aesthetics and their tie to femininity.
               Viewing art and culture through the lens of gender inequality and the intersectionality of the sexism based around arts vs crafts, the aesthetics of our bodies and domesticity, I strive to unravel the conceptuality and practicality of joining together to push back against and leave our oppressive patriarchal system.”

Welcome back, Holly!

Welcome back 2nd year MFA, Lana Traum! Lana Traum is an artist from Brecksville, Ohio, and a 2025 graduate of Miami Univ...
09/08/2026

Welcome back 2nd year MFA, Lana Traum!

Lana Traum is an artist from Brecksville, Ohio, and a 2025 graduate of Miami University, where she earned her BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in ceramics. Her work has been included in several exhibitions, including the 2026 NCECA Juried Student Exhibition in Detroit, Michigan.
Growing up exploring the Cleveland Metroparks, Lana finds inspiration in the natural world, and creates in a highly decorative yet childlike style infused with her love of illustration, theatrics and historical influences.

“My work is a reflection on morality, empathy, and humanity’s impact on the smallest of species. Through the perspective of childhood, I contemplate the environmental lessons and biases towards insects that are ingrained in our society. My work attempts to dismantle the belief that insects are expendable or bothersome, and confronts what the loss of these species means. I depict each insect with personality, treating them as individuals rather than a diagnostic representative in a field guide. I approach complex topics such as invasive species, extirpation, extinction, moral dilemma, and anthropocentrism through a simple, childlike lens, and pose the question: Can we extend compassion to the smallest, most abundant group of creatures in our ecosystem, and through this grow humanity’s collective capacity for empathy?”

It’s good to be back at OU!

Re-introducing 2nd year MFA Abbi Fitzekam! Abbi Fitzekam received her BFA in ceramics from Northern Arizona University a...
09/07/2026

Re-introducing 2nd year MFA Abbi Fitzekam!

Abbi Fitzekam received her BFA in ceramics from Northern Arizona University and Post-Baccalaureate from University of Montana. Her studio practice focuses on floriography and influences of the art of Ikebana. Her vessels are created to coexist with flowers and locally found organic objects.

So excited to see what you create this year, Abbi!

Introducing Juli, 1st year MFA!Juli Coleman, who was born and raised in Mississippi, received her BFA in ceramics from t...
09/06/2026

Introducing Juli, 1st year MFA!

Juli Coleman, who was born and raised in Mississippi, received her BFA in ceramics from the University of Mississippi in 2022 and returned to complete a Post-Baccalaureate in 2024.

Juli’s work explores nostalgia, memory, and the relationships we form with everyday objects. Through functional ceramic forms, she draws from mid-century design and familiar domestic imagery to create pieces that feel both playful and comforting. Her work is intended to become part of daily routines, gathering its own history and meaning through use.

Welcome to OU, Juli!

Introducing 1st year MFA, Kenya!Kenya Heiner received her BFA in Sculpture and Ceramics in 2025 from Utah Valley Univers...
09/05/2026

Introducing 1st year MFA, Kenya!
Kenya Heiner received her BFA in Sculpture and Ceramics in 2025 from Utah Valley University.
Kenya’s practice draws upon both architectural forms and elements of the natural world. 
She exploring themes of alienation, and impermanence through the melding of animal life with human made paraphernalia. 
Welcome to OU, Kenya!

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