Jacalyn Carper

Jacalyn Carper, from Rincon, Georgia, graduates in May 2020 with a BA degree in Fine Art Studio with a focus in ceramics. She has always had a passion for art and for teaching. Jacalyn has had several opportunities to showcase her work and to teach ceramics in such settings as Kids-n-Clay and Night of 100 Pots during her time as a ceramic student. She also had the privilege to collaborate in ceramic student shows such as the Cherokee Brick Company exhibition and the Ice Cream CBEL art-in-action event. Jacalyn has a heart for both ceramics and people, which led to the development of her narrative ceramic vessels series. This series showcases her abilities to create a story and use her craftsmanship in ceramics.

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Artist Statement

There is something exciting that happens in the space between the lost and the found.

The ceramic vessel series “A Boy and a Box” expresses the journey of a creative child named Redd who makes new things from a discarded cardboard box that he found in the trash. Redd transforms this box into a treehouse fort, a racecar, a dancing robot, and finally his bed. This series illustrates the joy of discovery and is reflective of my own craft.

Stories allow us to make sense of the world around us and to share our ideas and individual perspectives. I create art from experience. As a storyteller, my narrative ceramics communicate my love of stories. In this specific series, I work with a combination of pottery techniques, including wheel throwing, slab building and sculpting to develop the narratives. My clay creations reflect and reveal my own sense of joy found within the discovery process.

The form of the vessel is important in my work because it provides a sense of curiosity and is grounded within historical ceramics. Vessels are designed to contain something. Here I am using these objects to serve another function – the containment of an idea.

I believe there is a human desire for discovery and that we are inherently creative. My ideas about the space between the lost and the found are both about discovery of the unknown and also about the journey of finding meaning. Redd has not discovered all of the possibilities of the box but sees its potential in it. Redd loses himself in his craft and it is only through his journey that he discovers and finds that his creative decisions are meaningful. I firmly believe that we all have something in common with this character, Redd.

Project Description

The ceramic vessel series “A Boy and a Box” expresses the journey of a creative child named Redd who makes new things from a discarded cardboard box. This series illustrates the joy of discovery and is reflective of my own craft. In this series, I am using the vessel to serve as the containment of an idea. My ideas about the space between the lost and the found are both about discovery of the unknown and also about the journey of finding meaning.