Chance Taylor

BIOGRAPHY

Chance Taylor is a functional ceramicist and educator who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota. He graduated with a BFA (2018) in ceramics from North Dakota State University and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Taylor’s work incorporates local materials in conjunction with an expressive approach to making and firing and draws upon his fascination with an object’s utilitarian purpose to facilitate culture and tradition through everyday use and ritual.

Taylor has displayed his work across the nation and participated in multiple juried and invitational exhibitions, but he also works with several nonprofits, reinforcing his belief in ceramic’s ability to build cultural and community bridges. He has worked as a studio assistant to Michael Strand, who is a Professor of Art at Taylor’s alma mater, to help realize and launch community-based projects throughout the country. Taylor has also worked with several non-profit organizations throughout the Midwest, including the Plains Art Museum, located in Fargo, as well as the local organization, Access Arts. Most recently, Taylor has completed a solo exhibition of his woodfired work at his Alma Mater and completed a two person exhibition: Unearthed with his studio mate Erin Drake at the Montminy Gallery in Columbia, Mo.  

ARTIST STATEMENT

Deriving beauty from humble sources is a constant fascination for me. I do my best to be responsive to the materials I use, seeking to accentuate their inherent qualities wherever I can. Different clays, ashes, and kilns all have a distinct character and potential. It is only by developing a working relationship with these things that the character can be understood and translated or implemented in the work. It is a process of seeing, selection, and discernment that develops through practice and contemplation. 

I am interested in the use of local materials and atmospheric firing processes. The two accentuate one another and create surfaces that are tied to a particular place and moment. My palette has shifted as I have moved, responding to the varying materials indigenous to each region. Form, material, and the atmosphere of the kiln each have an integral voice and a distinct relationship to one another, and in the best of my work these voices come together in harmony.  

My pots are, above all, intended for use. Thus, they should have a visual and  physical balance and be a pleasure to use. That balance reflects my sensibilities in a moment, a response to a material or a need, and a deepening intuitive understanding of form and material. I would like for my pots to be a part of a greater surrounding, to complement a meal, a moment, an occasion; they are made to be used and enjoyed. Through use, new relationships and associations develop. That object becomes a part of the rituals of life, whether as a daily companion, a vessel for special occasions, or a reminder of a meal shared with friends, that object becomes entwined in memory and invested with new and growing meaning.    

Website: www.ChanceTaylorCeramics.com 
Instagram @ChanceTaylorCeramics