Joan Clare Brown ( she/her )

My work is a direct response to societal moral injustices, and my personal experiences with loss and memory. I explore the tension between external appearances and underlying truths, using ceramic forms to evoke both comfort and distress. Small, handheld sculptures are meant to be intimate, offering the viewer space to reflect on fragility, strength, and the human experience. Through these pieces, I create a dialogue between memory and social norms, inviting the viewer to reflect on their own narratives.

Porcelain is central to my practice, a material that represents purity, fragility and strength. The physical limitations of porcelain are stretched through the process of making. Highly detailed surface manipulations force the material mimic something it’s not—soft flesh, memories and the complexities of loss. The firing process, which solidifies these forms, transforms fleeting moments into permanent, tangible objects that act as memorials to intimate connections, forgotten narratives, and injustices surrounding societal norms.

The use of color in my work symbolizes the emotional weight of memory and personal experience. Bright, bold colors represent particularly strong memories, while more subdued tones evoke moments of quiet reflection. The objects I create reference the familiar—objects and forms that suggest deeper, unspoken narratives. These forms are re-contextualized, distorted and transformed to ask questions about meaning, context, and our internal states.

Through the interplay of materials, form, and meaning, I offer the viewer an invitation to engage with their own personal and societal histories. My work reflects on the connections between memory, identity, and loss, and transforming fleeting moments into tangible sculptures, aiming to create a space for introspection and dialogue. 

Joan Clare Brown is a ceramic artist originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and currently based in Bowling Green, Ohio, where she serves as an adjunct professor at Bowling Green State University, and instructor at Owens Community College. She holds a BFA in Ceramics from the University of the Arts (2013) and an MFA in Ceramics from Bowling Green State University (2018).Joan’s work primarily revolves around porcelain, through which she creates sculptures that explore themes of moral injustice. In addition to her sculptural pieces, she produces brightly colored wearables and functional objects. Joan’s work is driven by a desire to provoke thought and conversation around societal issues, while also celebrating the tactile beauty of the ceramic medium.As an artist and educator, Joan is deeply committed to fostering a community-oriented studio environment that is both positive and inclusive. She believes in creating spaces where individuals feel supported and encouraged to grow creatively, valuing collaboration and shared learning as integral parts of the artistic process.