About the Artist

Steve Kelly is a potter and sculptor based in Wilmington, NC. He is an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington and leads workshops in the US as well as abroad. His work can be seen in numerous galleries, magazines and most recently in Surface Decoration for Ceramics a book on contemporary ceramic surface techniques. His functional forms range from humble utilitarian vessels to more complex, abstract gallery work. His pottery and sculptures center around such questions as what objects and surfaces can tell us about who we are, how we relate to one another, and how we relate to our planet. Recently he was the Professional Artist in Residence at Sturt, Australia’s pioneering design center and school for contemporary craft. Steve received his BFA from the University of Montana and his MFA from Maine College of Art. Perhaps his greatest education, however, came from his apprenticeship with master potter Trew Bennet in the hills of Virginia. Where, in keeping with the ethos of traditional Asian and American ceramics, he spent countless hours creating vessels that both honor the humble nature of clay and transcend it.