Red Lodge Clay – Center Short-Term Resident 2015, 2023
Jason Hess is a Professor of Art and head of the Ceramics Program at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. He has a BFA from Beloit College and an MFA from Utah State University. Hess has exhibited in over 175 exhibitions at galleries, art centers and universities across the US and internationally. His artwork is featured in the collection of the United Postal Service, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute, the Martin Museum of Art at Baylor University as well as a number of private collections. Jason has participated in artist residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation, Red Lodge Clay Center, and the Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, China.
A desire to have objects that fulfill specific purposes inspires me to make functional pots. The infinite and elusive variety of texture and color attainable through the various making and firing processes that I use has generated an interest in presentation. I enjoy presenting my work so that a viewer might notice and appreciate subtle differences in form and surface. By grouping similar forms of differing size and color I hope to compose a visually dynamic display, which invites the viewer to enjoy the tactile nature of each individual piece and how they relate to one another.