Ben Jordan

My work explores the complex social geography of modern society and the intricate relationship between mankind and the environment. My ceramic sculpture serves as a metaphor for a wider global panorama of political power and industrial production. I am currently exploring the lineage of manifest destiny, from its beginnings in Europe to westward expansion in America, to forms it has taken in modern America. These ceramic forms serve as the conceptual grounds upon which to explore industry and culture. In these works I simultaneously celebrate the history of the pastoral life while questioning the ideologies of modern society. Through hand-labor, contemplative making, and a reverence for tradition, I aim to explore both interrelated and divergent human perceptions using clay as my primary medium.

-- Ben Jordan

Ben Jordan was born and raised in the American Southwest. He earned a bachelors degree in Sociology at Northern Arizona University before discovering a passion for clay in 2006. After completing a Bachelors of Fine Art in ceramics at Northern Arizona University he went on to work and apprentice in the city of Groningen, in the Netherlands. After finishing a residency at the Red Lodge Clay Center in 2014, he went on to obtain his Masters in Fine Art in ceramics from Virginia Commonwealth University. Ben is currently a long term resident at Pocosin Arts in North Carolina.