Elliott Kaiser

Elliott is a sculptor and current resident artist at the Mesa Arts Center. He received his BFA from Alfred University and his MFA in Ceramics from Arizona State University. While between degrees, Elliott moved to Ann Arbor, MI where he worked at a ceramic tile company and volunteered on small family farms. His art over the past decade has been about the values learned in the fields, taking care of both the animals and the people within the agricultural community. Elliott's upcoming shows include a solo exhibition at Focal Point during NCECA 2020 in Richmond, VA; a public art project on the Green Way in Boston through January 2020; and Westward Ho!, a group exhibition at the Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA. 

”My path to Japan began with a vase I saw at the Phoenix Art Museum, a piece of traditional Shigaraki ware. At the time I was working on developing a sculptural clay body and the glistening inclusions in the clay of the vase sparked my imagination. I began experimenting first with ways to replicate the effect, reverse-engineering that naturally occurring feldspar in the Japanese clay, and then creating my own colorful variations. When I was awarded a guest artist residency in 2019 at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, I had the pleasure of working alongside some of the best local and international artists, and in a region so richly steeped in ceramic history that every home in the village seemed to have its own kiln. To observe and work with these artists and share convivial meals with them each evening was among the most professionally stimulating and personally rewarding experiences of my life, and the influence continues to feed and develop my work.”- Elliott Kayser