Roberta Massuch

Influenced heavily by the architecture of her surroundings, Roberta Massuch (Philadelphia, PA) creates functional pottery, sculptural vessels, and installations with evident reflection on construction techniques and the presence of hand. Utilizing the dichotomy of varied surface colors and interactions, she establishes a comparison to individuals and human interaction; her incorporation of the step motif serves as a metaphor for change. Leaving seams exposed as evidence of construction, her work allows the viewer opportunity to ascertain the interaction of individual components and reference to their structural influence.

Massuch received her BFA in ceramics from Northern Illinois University-DeKalb in 2005 and her MFA from Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge in 2013. In addition to posts as instructor at The Clay Studio (Philadelphia), Tyler School of Art (Philadelphia), and the Community College of Philadelphia, she has received awards including the Jerome Ceramic Artist Project Grant in 2009, the Independence Foundation Visual Arts Fellowship in 2015 and further recognition through publications such as Clay Times, Ceramics Monthly, Musing About Mud, and various exhibition catalogs through The Clay Studio.

Massuch’s work has been exhibited at universities, institutions, galleries and museums across the western United States including Northern Clay Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Appalachian Center for Craft (Smithville, Tennessee), Worcester Center for Craft (Massachusetts), The Clay Studio, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Goggleworks Center for the Arts (Reading, Pennsylvania), and the Visual Arts Center of Richmond (Virginia).