To celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month, here are four queer ceramicists whose work is well worth your attention. Queer history is rich with artists who used clay as a medium of self-expression, and these four are continuing that tradition in ways that feel alive and motivational.
Sam Sequeira (@the_clay_gay)
A ceramics artist from Houston, Texas, Sequeira graduated with a BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in ceramics from the University of North Texas and is currently working as an artist in residence at KC Clay Guild in Kansas City, Missouri. Their work weaves together trans identity and a deep connection to matriarchal lineage, combining wire, textile and ceramic as a nod to the seamstress grandmother and jeweller mother who shaped them.
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Catalina Cheng (@catalina_cheng)
Catalina Cheng’s ceramic work pulls from traditional blue and white Chinese porcelain, reimagined through the lens of a queer, Colombian-Chinese first-generation American experience. Quirky phrases and punchy one-liners sit alongside gentler pieces, with messages of care and romanticism.
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Addis (@addiiiissss)
A self-described ‘clay bender,’ Addis is a ceramicist who creates pottery in Minneapolis. Their work has a striking visual range, from intricate, tattoo-like snake motifs to earthy-toned vessels that feel rooted in something more ancient. There is a remarkably soothing quality to their pieces.
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