Kelli Sinner
Missoula, MT
Exhibit Year: 2023-2024
About the Artist
Kelli Sinner is a ceramic artist and co-owner of Workroom Montana, a community art studio in Missoula, Montana. Originally from Utah, she received an MFA in Ceramics from Penn State University and a BFA in Ceramics from Utah State University. She has taught clay in New York City at Marymount College Manhattan, the 92nd Street Y, and the Educational Alliance. Most recently, she was a Professor of Art at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where she taught ceramics, papermaking, exhibitions, and design. At MSUM, she received the Excellence in Teaching Award. Kelli has completed artist residencies at the Zentrum fur Keramik, Berlin, Germany; Penland School of Craft, Penland, North Carolina; The Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, Montana; and Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, Montana.
Kelli Sinner is an MT Open AIR artist.
Artist Statement
Being a functional artist in the modern world is a pragmatic balance between knowing that a handmade object won’t change the world but can stimulate dialog, thoughtfulness, and mindfulness. Because handmade objects are hopelessly inefficient to produce, making and using handmade objects encourages the radical ideal of valuing the individual above the corporate. This creates a quirky rawness that delights in being handmade and questions the solutions of utilitarian commercial wares. One-of-a-kind objects can bring interest, character, and idealism into our actions.