Summer Workshop Lecture Series // Paul Briggs and Matt Kelleher

Paul grew up in the Hudson Valley of New York and was drawn to the arts from a young age. After taking his first ceramics class in 9th grade, ceramics became his primary medium and the ceramics studio was the one place where his attention was fully absorbed. Paul went on to study ceramics at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and the Massachusetts College of Art. He has been a resident at the Harvard Ceramics Program and the Archi Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts. Paul’s work has been internationally exhibited and both his slab-built sculptures and pinched-formed vessels have been well received in the ceramics community.

Matt Kelleher is Associate Professor and Division Chair of Ceramic Art at New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He joined the faculty in 2015 after a decade of working as a studio potter in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Matt has participated in residencies at Penland School of Crafts, Archie Bray Foundation, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, and Starworks. As Matt continues to investigate soda-fired tableware, his studio practice has expanded to include larger sculptural ideas.