Statement
My work combines felt emotional experiences with storytelling. By exploring personal and fictional narratives in clay, my practice allows me to create space for my emotions, process them, express their sensorial effects, and explore facets of my identity in a cathartic and healing way.
I have been drawn to making objects since childhood, and ceramics has become the most intuitive medium for realizing my ideas. Working with clay allows me to root my sculptures in a sense of naturalism while also pushing them toward the surreal. Though my pieces exist as physical objects, I want them to resist the laws of nature and suggest something otherworldly. I am particularly drawn to the highly crafted and the uncanny, with influences ranging from Classical and Hellenistic sculpture to contemporary ceramics, horror films, and fantasy video games.
Through my work, I aim to evoke visceral, emotional responses. I am interested in how powerful imagery can foster unspoken connections and open space for meaningful dialogue. Ultimately, my practice reflects a belief that to feel is to exist—that our emotions are what make us human, vulnerable, and strong.
About
Jackson Shaner (b. 1999) is a ceramic artist whose figurative sculptures capture energy, emotion, and storytelling. He is most widely known for his vessels that transform clay into fabric, with trapped figures pushing their way out. Shaner’s work blends technical craft with personal narrative, often drawing from queer trauma, dark aesthetics, and visions of the otherworldly.
Shaner attended Furman University for his bachelor’s degree in Studio Art. He then completed an artist residency at the New Harmony Clay Project, and he has assisted workshops at Penland and Arrowmont Schools of Craft. Currently, Shaner lives and works in Columbia, SC, where he has just received his MFA at the University of South Carolina. There, he will teach as an adjunct in the fall.
Jackson Shaner has shown work across the United States, and he recently exhibited work at the 2026 NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) conference in Detroit, Michigan. While he looks forward to pursuing a teaching career in ceramics, Shaner also does freelance work, and teaches workshops at clay studios whenever possible.