About
Torn, 2015.
Michelle Swafford is a ceramic artist living and working in New Orleans, Louisiana. Born and raised in Colorado, Michelle threw her first pots as a teenager in a community center clay program, where she would later become a studio assistant and instructor. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Multimedia from the University of Colorado-Denver, but continued to study ceramics on the side by attending workshops and classes at local art centers and community colleges.
From 2011 to 2014, Michelle was an Artist-in-Residence at Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland. She then moved to New Orleans and completed her Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art at Tulane University in 2016. She is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of ceramics at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Michelle's most recent bodies of work explore themes of hardship and recovery through the visual language of the female figure and that of domestic objects and household disasters. Her previous body of functional porcelain pottery was produced from 2010 to 2014.
In 2017, Michelle founded the Clay Center of New Orleans, a nonprofit organization that serves to grow, support and elevate ceramic art and artists by bringing high-quality ceramic art education, facilities, outreach, and professional opportunities to the city of New Orleans. The Clay Center's gallery and mini supply shop opened in 2018, and plans are underway to relocate and expand the Clay Center with the addition of a community-oriented ceramics studio that will offer classes, workshops, open studio memberships, firing services, and community outreach.
Download Michelle's CV (pdf)
From 2011 to 2014, Michelle was an Artist-in-Residence at Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland. She then moved to New Orleans and completed her Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art at Tulane University in 2016. She is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of ceramics at Tulane University in New Orleans.
Michelle's most recent bodies of work explore themes of hardship and recovery through the visual language of the female figure and that of domestic objects and household disasters. Her previous body of functional porcelain pottery was produced from 2010 to 2014.
In 2017, Michelle founded the Clay Center of New Orleans, a nonprofit organization that serves to grow, support and elevate ceramic art and artists by bringing high-quality ceramic art education, facilities, outreach, and professional opportunities to the city of New Orleans. The Clay Center's gallery and mini supply shop opened in 2018, and plans are underway to relocate and expand the Clay Center with the addition of a community-oriented ceramics studio that will offer classes, workshops, open studio memberships, firing services, and community outreach.
Download Michelle's CV (pdf)