Collection: Sam Briegel - Featured Artist

Samantha Briegel grew up in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in Knoxville, TN. She received her BFA in Three-Dimensional Arts from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 2013 where she predominantly focused on Ceramics. Following that, Briegel completed an internship at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts Clay Business in Helena, Montana. She went on to receive a post-baccalaureate program from the University of Montana in 2015 and began graduate school the following year. Briegel was awarded her Masters of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Ohio University in 2018 and after graduating found herself in the Nation’s Capital completing a year-long residency at District Clay Center in Washington, DC. On top of being a resident at DCC, she managed the District Clay Gallery and Special Events. Briegel moved to Baltimore following her DCC residency to complete a residency at Baltimore Clayworks as their Lormina Salter Fellow. In the Spring of 2020, she was a part-time faculty member at Maryland Institute College of Art. Briegel is a represented artist by the Smithsonian Craft Show and has given workshops and been a visiting artist across the country. She is currently setting up a home studio at her farmhouse just outside of Baltimore.

Statement:

My work reclaims the identity of clothing textures and patterns. The body and the vessel share a similar vocabulary of lips, shoulders, bellies, and feet. I use this comparison to clothe implied bodies. As functional pottery, these works demand interactions through use. Akin to our clothing, these interactions also make us aware of our bodies. What happens to the clothes that we love but can never wear again? These articles contribute to our identities. What happens when our clothes no longer comfort us? As a female potter, I am offering a reclaimed comfort that delivers nourishment, tactile moments, and conversation.

Find Sam’s Artaxis page: https://artaxis.org/samantha-briegel/

Find Sam's Instagram: @sambriegel

** Sam Briegel's Artaxis Shop has ended. You can find more work available for sale by visiting the other Featured Artist collections HERE