Ceramics & Sculpture
Heather Barclay
Cut the Line?
This piece takes one of the worst feelings a fisherperson can experience and attempts to answer the question (a question that may not even be about fishing); is it better to kill a gut hooked fish or to cut the line and release it?
Heather Barclay
Opposing Truths
Inspired by a dead cat I found at the doorsteps of my cabin, this piece attempts to deconstruct nostalgia, and focus on the uncomfortable idea that you can hold two opposing truths at once.
Emma Budendorf
Gifted and Talented
This work is based on my experience being autistic in school. Orcas are insanely smart animals, yet even so, it is immensely difficult to thrive in an environment that isn't built for them, as it is for me. On top of this, many still consider "autistic" equal to "retarded," or on social media, "restarted," "regarded," and "acoustic."
Justin Delesha
Compassion (the strings are attached in this one)
Compassion is to suffer together. The wrapped thorns symbolize the weight that is placed on one's own heart when taking on the emotional weight of another. Sometimes in helping others, we hurt ourselves. This is the opposite of a "no strings attached" offer, the strings of sympathy are attached.
Addilyn Green
I Carry Your Absence With Me
This piece is about carrying the grief of someone you lost/ someone you cut out from your life. They may be gone, but some things are harder to push away that remind you of them.
Amareh Haley
Spores
Created through coils, carving, and piped slip. I wanted to explore and emphasize texture in accordance to the requirements of making a nonrepresentational, natural form. I chose decay, mold, and microorganisms as inspiration for the surface textures. Black stain was used to strengthen textures.
Amareh Hailey
1000 Years
Commentary on plastic's wasteful nature and resulting pollution. Plastic only starts to break down after 1000 years. It exists for eternity. Inspired by my dislike of using Ziploc bags. Physical reminder of plastic's consequences. Created with slabs, colored slip, carving, and translucent glaze.
Jennifer LaBounty
Magic Mirror
Magic Mirror is from a series of work depicting how social media distorts a personal sense of self for many young people.
Tabetha Mann
Oceana Ceramic
This piece is a hand-built ceramic sculpture inspired by organic & natural forms seen in marine life and environments. This has been one of my favorite pieces of my own creation as I spent a lot of time on the building and glazing process, and the inspiration really shined through the final product.
Taylor Morey
Bookends
After leaving an abusive relationship, I began to focus on myself and who I want to be. This lead me to read novels about powerful people, both as fiction or nonfiction, that have taken their own lives back. I chose Circe, a minor Greek Goddess to depict for those same reasons. Her story helped me find me.
Sophia Morrill
Self Portrait
A symbolic portrait that combines my love of art, film, and the outdoors.
Hannah Names
Banned, Burned and Challenged
"A society that bans books is a society that's afraid to face the truths about itself." (Ray Bradbury) With this sculpture I want to draw attention to the dangers of censorship, the importance of intellectual freedom, and the rise of book bans in the U.S., the supposed land of the free.
Hannah Names
When I Grow Up
There is a point in all our lives where we're no longer children. It may be a gradual or sudden shift, but once it happens, we can never go back. This piece is my attempt to embody the nostalgia often felt when reflecting on childhood and its bittersweet end.
Hannah Olesen
Birds of a Feather
This was one of my first teapots I threw. The series is about the relationship I have with my siblings and home. Each are represented by a bird. These birds can be found in the Minnesotan woods, hence the snowy forest on the teapot.
Chloe Ramstrom
The World is So Big and I am So Small
This piece depicts a large pillow with a tiny person in a fetal position on it. The person symbolizes how the world feels so big and overwhelming at times and makes us want to just curl up on a huge pillow.
Morgan Ryals
Gwendolen's Dress—The Importance of Being Earnest
An early Edwardian (1900-1909) dress that features a pleated bodice and skirt. This dress was made for the UMD Theatre Department for The Importance of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde. The show was performed at UMD in October 2024. 70+ hours of work. Designed by Bunney. Built by Ryals.
Julia Schroeder
Sweet Dreams
This piece explores how anxiety and depression can influence sleep patterns and dreams. A figure of a sleeping girl beneath a pile of mattresses, a nod to the aesthetics of "The Princess and The Pea" and symbolizes how mental disorders coincide with sleeping patterns that can influence daily life.
Julia Schroeder
Dysmorphic
Jordan Vylasek
Part of the Job
As I am venturing into the education field the fear of school shootings is unfortunately a very real thing that can happen. I think back to the incident were Abigail Zwerner was shot by one of her students and told that "Its part of the job" by administration.
Anna Wolf
Battle Grown
Battle Grown is a personal representation of how beautiful things can grow from difficult times. During the making of these forms, I was going through some sudden changes in my life that affected me adversely. The bullet holes and war I felt before have now become overgrown with peace of change.
