LAUREN MABRY

I make ceramic objects, vessels, and dimensional glaze paintings. My work seeks to both highlight and exploit the intrinsic qualities and process-oriented nature of ceramics. Through calculated experimentation driven by a fascination with color and visual movement, the objects I make challenge viewers to contemplate the perceived physical state of matter. These ever-dynamic compositions feature rich, vibrant glazes that remain in constant fluctuation between flowing liquids and solid structures. Sometimes the surfaces look weathered and aged, but at the same time colorfully lush and wet. The results are expressive, bold, and often dichotomous: haphazard yet highly calculated.

LAUREN MABRY received her BFA from Kansas City Art Institute and her MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her work has exhibited at such museums and institutions as The Delaware Contemporary, Wilmington, DE; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO; Jingdezhen International Studio, Jingdezhen, China; GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Reading, PA; Gaya Ceramic Design Center, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia; Zanesville Prize Exhibition, International Juried Exhibition, Seiler’s Gallery, Zanesville, OH; Kimball Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT; Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO; Strohl Art Center, Chautauqua, NY; National Council on Education for Ceramic Arts, Kansas City, MO; Grand Arts Building curated for Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO; The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA; Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln, NE; New Art Center, Newtown, MA; Raphael Prize Exhibition, Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI; NCECA Biennial, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX; The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS; The Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT; among others. Her work is in the permanent collections: The Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.; Fuller Craft Museum, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sheldon Museum of Art, The Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts, and Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. She is the recipient of individual grants from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, The Independence Foundation Grant, and the NCECA Emerging Artist Award.