Brooke Cassady is an Assistant Professor of Art in 3D Design and Ceramics and the Director of the School of Design Galleries at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA. She also holds the Clarece Harp Lyles Endowed Professorship in Ceramic Arts. She graduated from Boston University in 2003 with a BA in Art History and received her MFA in Ceramics from Louisiana State University in 2011. Her thesis work focused on community engagement and self-actualization through impromptu interactions with raw clay in public spaces. She’s currently an interdisciplinary artist working predominantly with ceramics, fibers, metals and repurposed objects. She utilizes materials to achieve forms that feel bound yet expansive trying to capture the visceral experiences and emotions within the body. Her work references the interconnectedness of humans and all other beings, the collective consciousness and the natural world. Her work has been exhibited nationally in solo, invitational, and juried shows. statement - brooke cassady For 11 years I made functional pottery. In grad school at LSU, I realized I was most interested in the significance of pottery as remnants or artifacts of communal events. Pottery is primarily thought of for serving and storing food, however I reflected on family meals and potlucks and the conversations that unfold around dishes. I utilize pottery as vessels for connection to others and to the natural world. I try to capture visceral experiences, emotions, and ephemeral moments in the forms to suggest the interconnectedness of humans, our consciousness, and all beings. I make vessels that are permanent and functional, while others are ephemeral. I also use raw clay to connect with others in public interactions that invite self-awareness and dialogue around the fragility of life and impermanence. My most recent body of work, lacunae, consists of skeletal structures and forms that reference the curvilinear lines of mycelium networks. Clays and glazes ripple and ooze as they expand and melt while other forms appear bound and compressed. Each component is made with various clay bodies and processes. Some appear strong and durable, others show the effects of time and echo feelings of loss. “I am interested in the body as a vessel, as a container of complex emotions and sensations, and as a vehicle for expression and connection. This series explores softness and tenderness, like that between a mother and child, and the painfully constant awareness of the fragility of life and impermanence.”