Originally from the Ozarks in southern Missouri, Zach Tate is a ceramic artist living and working as a ceramicist in Traverse City, Michigan. He received his B.F.A. in ceramics from Missouri State University and his M.F.A. from Texas Tech University in 2013. In 2018 Zach was elected as the Director At large for NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts).
Zach’s work has been exhibited internationally, nationally, and regionally since 2007. Along with exhibiting his work, Zach has been a visiting artist at several universities and art centers around the world and works as an author for several ceramic publications. His writings cover experiences he has had organizing events, traveling experiences, and exhibition reviews.
Since 2019 Zach has been the head of Ceramics and Art History at Northwestern Michigan College.
My work has always set on the edge of the irreverent and absurd. Compelled by my interest in history, civics, and comic books, I make work that is derivative of current events and pop culture. Inspired by centuries of satirical artists who have dared to call out the inequities of those in power, I follow in a rich history of artists who work to entertain and inform.
Working in the ceramic medium, my objects and images are embedded in the permanence of the medium. I am deeply drawn to ceramic’s deep and unparalleled history. The power of a utilitarian object tied with the potential for surface ornamentation allows for objects manifested in clay to carry multiple uses and functions: contain, preserve, offer, commemorate, and adorn.