Artist Statement

My works arise from dreams, myth, religion, superstition, and history, giving form to intangible ideas through relic-like functional objects. Using techniques of repetition, embedding, and blurring, I express the weight of thought and the strangeness of existence. My studio practice channels a spontaneous, playful sensibility into a poetic and contemporary self-reflection. Function inherently establishes continuity while allowing interpretation to remain fluid. These expressions are intimately carried in the ambit of embraces with pottery. I give form to inexplicable histories and experiences through a personal symbolic language, returning to motifs such as horses, snakes, fruit, insects, botanica, charms, and celestial beings. These images hold cultural associations and emotional weight, operatic as a mode of articulated self-portraiture. My glazing process becomes a form of translation, guided by intuition and responsive decision-making as scenes emerge in dialogue with the form and patterns. Layered visual and physical depths reference both the subtleties of the psyche of life and the ornamentation of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Artist Biography

Macayla Sandusky is currently an MFA candidate in ceramics at The University of Iowa and received a BFA from The University of Arkansas. Macayla has been selected for various juried exhibitions across the United States and participated in the Inaugural New Art Dealer’s Association Ceramic Market in 2024. They’ve held professional positions in artist’s studios in New York City and taught all levels of community classes at studios such as Greenwich House Pottery and BKLYN Clay. They’ve participated in residencies such as Watershed Center for Ceramic Craft, Arrowmont, and was the Summer Teaching Fellow at Craigardan in the Adirondacks in 2025.