Michelle Solorzano is a figurative ceramic sculptor whose work explores themes of immigration, identity, and culture, blending personal experiences with broader historical influences. Her art practice is deeply rooted in the complexities of bicultural identity and the layered legacies of colonization, drawing inspiration from her Dominican heritage shaped by Taíno, African, and Spanish influences.
Solorzano holds a BFA in Painting and Ceramics from the State University of New York at Potsdam and an MFA in Ceramics from Indiana University’s Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.
Now based in California, Solorzano recently completed a long-term residency at the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA). She is currently an Artist in Residence at Laguna Clay and a Lecturer of Ceramics at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Her work has been recognized nationally, most recently as a 2025 NCECA Emerging Artist and a recipient of the Helen Zucker Seeman Writing and Research Fellowship for Women. She was named a 2024 Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist and has also received the Bloomington Arts Commission Emerging Artist Grant, the Christyl Ann Boger Memorial Award, and the Nelda Christ Memorial Award.
