Jason Starin ( he/him/his )

It has become more and more difficult to imagine stability in the future. Not even with acute sensitivity can I reach a rational foundation of structural integrity. Past geometries have nearly been decimated. Surface has obfuscated form. Reflecting on this disruption and through the development of research, drawings, and sculptures, my practice references geomythology, as well as sci-fi and fantasy based dystopian landscapes and imagery. It is an investigation into fantasy and formal aesthetics with consideration of how those points of view may relate to privilege and trauma in our lives. Through intuitive making and the need to make with my hands, I am questioning the notion of functionality beyond mere utility. Employing ceramics, discarded objects, and construction materials to make works, my art practice attempts to find connections between craft, escapism, and emotional awareness.

Jason Lee Starin has shown in numerous group exhibitions throughout the USA, most notably at Atlantic Gallery, NYC., Katherine E. Nash Gallery, MN., Law Warschaw Gallery, MN., Woodmere Art Museum, PA., Gravity Gallery, MA., American Museum of Ceramic Art, CA., The Center for Craft, Creativity  and Design, NC., GCA Gallery, NYC., Arizona State University Art Museum, Ceramics Research Center, AZ., The Clay Studio, PA., and San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, TX. From 2015 – 2019, Starin was a Full Time Resident Artist at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA. In 2017, Starin received an Independence Foundation Fellowship Grant to research his interest in Geomythology during a two-month stay at the NES Artist Residency in Skagaströnd, Iceland. From 2015 to 2020, Starin served as a Faculty Member as well as the Ceramic Shop Supervisor and Technician in the Craft and Material Studies Program at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. During that time, he also taught Advanced Handbuilding classes at The Clay Studio. From 2013 to 2014, Starin was the Lead Ceramic Technician and Studio manager for the Ceramic Department of Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, OR. He has held positions with BDDW, LLC., Mudshark Studios, LLC., Michael Curry Design, Inc., The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, as well as Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University. Starin received his MFA in Applied Craft and Design from Pacific Northwest College of Art and  Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2011, and his BFA in Ceramics from Grand Valley State University in 1999. In 1998, he studied abroad to study Conceptual Sculpture at Kingston University, Kingston, United Kingdom. Currently, Starin resides in Grand Rapids, MI., USA.