Jay Strommen received his MFA degree in ceramics from The School of the Art Institute (2000).  After his graduation he was a resident artist at The Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural in Japan from 2001 - 2002 and has been a teacher at Park West Ceramics and Lillstreet Art Center for the past 10 years.  His work has been featured throughout the United States in association with wood fired ceramics.  He was the recipient of the The Oppenheimer Family Foundation Teacher Incentive Grant in 2003 and 2004. Jay has financed the construction of two wood burning kilns in Galena, Illinois.  He fires his work and orchestrates instructional workshops in that area.  Currently Jay lives and has a studio in the southside of Chicago, Illinois.