Ethan McKellar ( he/him/his )

The focus of my work revolves around the excellence of craft and playing with the conventions of making within ceramics. With the loss of my father, I felt lost in who I am and what I represent. I worked through the pain and refused to be transparent. My work embodies the expression of vulnerability and grief through the medium of ceramic vessels. 

I acted as a caregiver in the latter days of my father's life. In doing so, I became his hands for tasks that he couldn’t do. In using clay, I gained respect for its tactility and the parallel of the material to my grief. The malleability, fragility, and versatility relates to the opportunity to reflect each time I touch clay. The goal of my artwork is to foster a sense of connection to humanity and explore the potential of clay as a material. Ceramic vessels offer a symbolic representation of the figure and, in extension, the viewer and their sense of self. I aim to push this envelope by creating objects in a state of collapse, fracture, or fragility, in order to demonstrate the clay’s ability to convey emotion.

I primarily fire my work in wood kilns. The process of wood-firing is laborious and energetic. The transfer of energy from human labor to the kiln is permanently transferred to the work. The act of care is a permanent mark, continuing my caretaking of the vessels I make.

Ethan McKellar is a ceramic artist born in Atlanta, Georgia, and now lives in the Carolinas. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2022, majoring in Sculpture & Ceramics with a minor in Arts Administration. He earned his Master of Fine Arts at Clemson University in 2025. Inspired by traditional North Carolina potters, his work utilizes the historic language of vessels and atmospheric firing to explore vulnerability and grief. Ethan has presented his research on local clays and kiln design at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference, and exhibits his work in juried and invitational exhibitions across the Southeast. He lost his father to ALS in 2021. He tries to be a good son to his mother and continues the passion that his family wants him to bring into the world.