The shard pile is the great metaphorical equalizer for ceramic artists. Regardless of skill, experience, or career stage, no maker is immune to a crack, collapse, glaze failure, or kiln disaster.

Inspired by the Surrealist Exquisite Corpse technique, I assemble patch-worked sculptures and collages that reconstruct historical forms—from Neolithic figurines and ancient amphorae to botanical imagery from Audubon’s Birds of America. By recontextualizing ceramic shards donated by living artists alongside found objects and chipped estate sale relics, my work excavates how we assign value, beauty, and identity—both individually and societally—to objects across time.

Each patchworked sculpture and collage preserve traces of individual hands while building a collective, resilient body. Joined across fractures, these queer echoes of art history question conventional notions of preservation, perfection, and authorship. Ultimately, they celebrate chosen family, resilience, and renewal—honoring contemporary ceramic artists worldwide, from dedicated hobbyists to studio practitioners.