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Jennifer Martin

Executive Director

Email: jennifer@theclaystudio.org

Phone: 215.925.3453 x 116

Jennifer D. Martin was named Executive Director of The Clay Studio by its Board and Executive Committee in March 2018.

Martin brings years of strategic know-how, comprehensive industry knowledge, and invaluable perspective to this role, having served as the Studio’s Vice President for six years, and the Director of Education and Operations prior to that. Since first joining The Clay Studio in 2007 as its Senior Studio Technician, Martin has worked closely with the organization’s leadership and its staff to strategically manage operations, direct projects and programs, and inspire internal and external teams.

"The Board and senior staff were enthusiastically in support of appointing Jennifer as our new Executive Director,” said Michael Lukasek, President of The Clay Studio Board. “She has been intimately involved in every aspect of The Clay Studio for more than ten years and is the ideal person to advance our mission and lead us through this exciting new chapter as we build a state-of-the-art facility."

The new Clay Studio, completed in spring 2022 with a groundbreaking in January 2020, is located in Philadelphia’s vibrant South Kensington neighborhood. As the first of its kind ceramic arts facility built in the United States, it is designed from the ground up as a welcoming center that will strengthen the cultural community of Philadelphia and propel the field of ceramics nationally and globally.

Martin, who originally hails from Atlanta, Georgia, is also an accomplished artist. Her ceramic work is nationally recognized in numerous exhibitions and publications, and she has held a number of residencies, including Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. Martin received her MFA from Georgia State University, and served as faculty there soon after. Since 2005 she has held a number of instructor positions and continues to present workshops and lectures locally and regionally, along with serving as juror for exhibitions and as panelist for cultural conferences. Martin’s current professional associations include Artaxis, The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, NCECA.

news philly com

February 22, 2018

The Clay Studio is moving from its longtime Old City home

The Clay Studio will be breaking ground on a 30,000-square-foot facility just outside Kensington later this year. The Studio, which was founded in 1974 by five artists, has grown from serving a small group of potters to providing services for over 35,000 people on an annual basis.

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Professional Experience

present                      Executive Director, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

2012 - 2018                Vice President, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

2010 - 2012                Director of Education & Operations, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

2008 - 2010               General Manager, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

2007 - 2008              Senior Studio Technician, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2006 - 2007              Studio Artist, Tucker, GA

2005 - 2006              Art Installer and Handler, Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, CO

2003 - 2005              Visiting Professor, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

2001 - 2003               Adjunct Instructor, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

2001                           Visiting Professor in Ceramics,  State University of West Georgia, Carrolton, GA

Professional Recognition

2014-15          Board Member, University City Arts League           

2015                Panelist, CAELI (Community Arts Education Leadership Institute) Applicant Review Panel

2012                Panelist, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Multidisciplinary Panel 

2011                 Panelist, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Multidisciplinary Panel

2010                Juror, Small Works Show, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences

                        Juror, Clay In Mind Show New, Jersey High School Ceramic Students

2007               Juror, Georgia Southern University Student Show

Education

1998 - 2000                  Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA    Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics

1993 - 1997                    Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA    Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics

Residencies

2014                             Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, ME

2005 - 2006               Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO

2005                            Mudfire Clayworks, Atlanta, GA

Professional Associations

2015 – Present            Artaxis, Member

2005 - Present           The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Member

1997 - Present            National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, Member

2010                             National Guild for Community Arts Education, Member

1998 - 2000                Student League of Independent Potters, Member

1994 - 1997                 Club Mud, Member

About My Artwork

 

On one’s physical body we know that scars and imperfections mark moments in our lives, working as visual reminders of our own history. I am interested in celebrating human experience through my work, while embracing both the positive and negative memories it may reveal.

I seek to honor ceramic tradition without being inhibited by its vast history. I explore the sensual nature of clay as reflected through physical touch. Using similar tools and processes to that of a traditional potter, I look not towards the ideal symmetrical vessel but instead towards asymmetry. My work often acts as a metaphor for the physical body, and I consider function secondary to fluidity and gesture in the form.

While the marks on the surface of the pots record the history of my hand in its creation, these same marks symbolize an individual’s experience. Like the rings seen in the cross-section of a tree, these marks provide a history of growth. In a similar manner, I use the repetitive lines and patterns in my work to create a vocabulary able to describe gender, memory, a personal journey or simply one’s personality make-up.

Both the scale of the work and the way it is grouped is of utmost importance to me. I seek to elevate the ceramic vessel from simply a utilitarian object to that of something that explores memory, relationships, and personal history. I do this by creating various scenarios in which to view each piece. The way two forms reflect each other’s profiles, such as a grid-work of cups both similar in form but distinct when viewed together, or large-scale forms created from actual body measurements, provide a variety of experiences to explore the same body of work and find one’s own individual narrative. In a final homage to the human body, I use traditional glazes in order to maintain a flesh-like aspect to the clay.

abottles
elow basket dplate bowl
platter greenglazedetail
jennifermartin whitework