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Ben Clark is a ceramic artist in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has worked in clay for approximately 12 years. He received a B.A. in Creative Writing from DePauw University and earned his Masters of Fine Arts in Ceramics and Sculpture from Wichita State in 2002. He is currently the Education Director at Funke Fired Arts, one of the largest public clay studio's in the country. Ben, his wife Krista, and their son Milo live in the Mt. Washington area of Cincinnati, Ohio.
At this point in his career, teaching guides his artistic focus. His classes are working on functional pottery, so his pieces lean in the functional direction. In his free time, he enjoys creating wheel thrown sculpture that is created through an intuitive style of construction. These sculptures give the viewer a better understanding of the movement of the potter's wheel and the connection between the clay and the landscape around us.
Artist Statement
I have always been very interested in the human impulse to build and create. We need to make things. I need to make things. The more digital we become the more important it is that we have things that ground us and bring us back outside. Maybe that thing is a mug or a wood fired bowl that connect you to the landscape every time you use them. Every day spent teaching or working on the potters wheel is a great day for me. I love the product that comes from influencing something that is out of control. By giving a look of intent to something wild, we add the human aspect to nature. I hope that by using my pottery, you find a little more enjoyment in your daily rituals.
