John CohorstOmaha, Nebraska

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John Cohorst is an Omaha based artist, creating both functional and sculptural ceramic art. He received his B.F.A. and M.A. from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg Kansas, where he concentrated in functional ceramics. After graduating, he accepted a position as an artist assistant at Jun Kaneko’s Studio, in Omaha Nebraska. After leaving the Jun Kaneko Studio, he traveled to Tokoname Japan in the Aichi prefecture where he studied wood-firing techniques with the IWCAT (international workshop of ceramic artists at Tokoname) program. In 2010 he was accepted as an artist in residence at the Carbondale Clay Center in Carbondale, Colorado. In 2012 John moved into the studio collective of Studio for Arts + Works (SAW). Starting in 2014 he began working and traveling with the Artstream Nomadic Gallery. John returned to Omaha in 2019 where he currently lives and works.

I always get the question, “why astronauts?” – my response is always, “there’s a lot of reasons, but to start, they’re funny…”! I use humor to draw the viewer in. I find the astronaut image speaks to people on different levels; for some, it’s scientific or about exploration, others see a nerdy outsider or a space cadet. People find aspects of themselves in these quirky illustrations and sculptures. I want you to be surprised when you see yourself reflected in the gold luster face shield! I hope that my Astroware pieces uplift, bring a smile to your face, and offer a moment of intimate self-reflection… literally!