Biography
Michael Connelly is a potter and professor in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He received his BFA and MFA from The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Connelly has taught and presented lectures and workshops at various venues both nationally and internationally, including classes at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Archie Bray Foundation, Penland School of Crafts, Alfred University, Alberta College of Art and Design, Sheridan College and the Huntington Museum of Art, where he was honored with the Walter Gropius Master Award. He is the owner/founder of Bailey Street Arts Corridor in the Brewerytown neighborhood in Philadelphia. His utilitarian pottery is in the permanent collections of the China Yaoware Museum, the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Asheville Art Museum, American Museum of Ceramic Art, Huntington Museum or Ceramic Art and Long Beach Museum of Art.
Artist Statement
I am guided in my project by a passion for making objects that are relevant to my contemporaries and by a deep curiosity about American history through pottery.
As a maker, I am drawn to the localized erosion which happens to clay and glazed surfaces. I play with form and pattern on utilitarian pots. Most recently, I have been experimenting with earthenware clay (Redware) and low-fire surface techniques to develop my work. It is the constant building up and tearing down of my processes that helps to keep my work fresh. It also provides layers of personal history in the development of my pottery, which enriches the methods from which I can draw.
More information about Michael can be found at: connellypottery.com
IG: @connellypottery