C Aguilera is originally from Rochester, NY and joined the staff at The Clay Studio mid 2023. Ceramics and cycling are C’s biggest passions. C remembers their first experience with clay in kindergarten and began to take it seriously in high school, creating their own independent study classes. They received their BS in Ceramics and Design from SUNY Buffalo State in 2020. After graduation and taking a step back from the art world, C worked as a bicycle mechanic around Philadelphia only to find themselves thinking about clay and itching to get back into the world of ceramics.
Their work has been in exhibitions around the country and they are looking forward to continuing to refine their craft. C’s preferred method to create is hand building by coils or slabs. They are currently working towards building up a body of functional work that touches on the human experience and sculptural works that express their perceptions of self. C feels extremely privileged to be a part of the TCS Team!
Artist Statement:
Trauma can be passed down through generations, subsequently affecting families for years to come... so can healing. The act of creating equips me with the tools to mend intergenerational wounds that pervade my family’s existence today. With the idea in mind that the process of cultivating a work made of clay is not finished in one day, I intend to utilize the medium to be able to speak my truth and express myself, while also honoring the ebbs and flows of healing such wounds. Self-expression is not an innate characteristic in my family. Similar to many low-income families of color, my family always had their own safety on their mind. As a result, I have been unintentionally conditioned to have a survival mindset which leaves me to come off as quiet and reserved.
My sculptural work demands to be seen due to its expansive presence. In my creative process, I bridge connections of anatomical and figurative references with identity and vulnerability.
In my functional ceramics I build more fluidly: indenting and moving the clay with my fingers and tools, each piece comes to have its own distinctive look. Although the cups and mugs are similar in form, each has linear movements that alter the perception of the person interacting with each vessel.
The radical act of expressing myself through clay permits me to reclaim my family’s narrative and validate our existence: we have been here. I am still here, and I am healing.
IG: @por.seagu
Website: seagucreates.weebly.com
