Artist: Matt Jones
Matt Jones, LOUISIANA
Bio
Matt Jones grew up in the mountains of Colorado where his formative years were spent exploring the forested wilderness around him. Upon receiving his bachelor’s degree in ceramics Matt worked in public education while also establishing his studio practice in the Denver area. Working fluidly across function and sculpture, his endeavors serve as a vehicle to express his experiences and concerns within the rapidly shifting, American West. Leaving Colorado in 2021, Matt currently resides in Baton Rouge where is in his final year as an MFA candidate at Louisiana State University.
Artist Statement
My work focuses upon the mountain west- a region I pridefully call my home. The west is complex, existing within dynamic landscapes, complicated histories, and convoluted philosophies. Through questioning and observation I reflect upon the dynamic relationships of people within their natural environments. I use objects as means to understand my own existence and place within such a delicate landscape. Native to Colorado, I have cultivated a curiosity toward the ideas and realities of how we live and interact within the landscape of these regions. Two decades of rapid urban development now clouds our perception of events we perceive as natural occurrences; record droughts yielding scorched terrains. With subtlety, the objects I craft work to describe these relationships. I choose to work in clay for it is a uniquely human material. Ceramics, cultivated from our primitive past; evolving with and from the pots we created using clay from the land before us. That connection is an important consideration in my approaches to making. There is a humanizing quality that exists within this material and the forms it produces. Crafted in earth and preserved by fire, these works become sentient couriers of reflection through one’s interactions with them.
Education
2021-Present Louisiana State University | Baton Rouge, LA | MFA Ceramics
2015 Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO | BA Ceramics and Art Education, Arts Administration Minor
Positions
2023-Present President | Ceramic Arts Student Association | Louisiana State University
2022-2023 Teacher of Record | Introduction to Hand-Building | Louisiana State University
Teacher of Record | Introduction to Wheel Throwing | Louisiana State University
2021-2022 Demonstrating Artist | Bone Yard LSU Museum of Art | Baton Rouge, LA
Teaching Assistant | Mikey Walsh/Andy Shaw | Louisiana State University
2019-2021 Board Member & Studio Assistant | Arvada Ceramics Arts Guild | Arvada, CO
2019 Artist in Residence/Production Potter | Carter and Co | Saint Helena, CA
Instructor | Chatfield Senior High School | Littleton, CO
2016-2018 Social Media Coordinator/Member Artist | Next Gallery | Lakewood, CO
2015-2018 Instructor | Alameda International Jr/Sr High School | Lakewood, CO
Solo Exhibitions
2018 Next Gallery | Silent Observations | Lakewood, CO
Group Exhibitions
2023
Above Board Ceramics | theTable 2023 | Cincinnati, OH
Barnes Ogden Art and Design Complex | All of Us | Baton Rouge, LA
2022
Light Art Space | Reflections in Clay | Silver City, NM
Orville Hanchey Gallery | Hotter n’ Hell | Natchitoches, LA
Union Art Gallery | Why LSU? | Baton Rouge, LA
Yes We Cannibal | With a Little Help From My Friends | Baton Rouge, LA
2021
Apartment BR | Sincerious | Baton Rouge, LA
2020
The Art Center | Contemporary Clay | Juror: Bill Van Gilder | Grand Junction, CO
2019
James J Richie Gallery | Jefferson County Educator Show | Juried | Lakewood, CO
2018
Next Gallery | The Small Works | Lakewood, CO
Gallery 66 | Same-Same | Juried Show | San Fidel, NM
2017
Next Gallery | Small Works Gallery | Lakewood, CO
James J Richie Gallery | Jefferson County Educator Show | Juried | Lakewood,CO
2016
Next Gallery | The Small Works | Lakewood, CO
Art Lab | That One Show | Fort Collins, CO
2015
Merchant Room | Origins | Fort Collins, CO
2014
Electronic Art Gallery | Flows of Growth | Fort Collins, CO
Mini Gallery | Tailings | Fort Collins
Publications
2022 Canvas Rebel Magazine | June Stories and Insights | Los Angeles, CA
2021 Voyage Magazine Denver | September Inspiring Stories | Denver, CO