Lexus Giles
2024 Lilian Fellow
Jackson, Mississippi

Lexus Giles’ work reflects her identity as a Black woman raised in the South, engaging deeply with the Black Diaspora. As a multimedia artist specializing in ceramics, she explores how history manifests in our present lives. Lexus addresses themes of structure, erasure, and the systems affecting her community while celebrating Blackness. She sees herself as a record-keeper, using materials like clay, wood, and found objects in connection to the land and its people that occupy the land. Her artistic process involves hand-building and mold-pressing techniques, emphasizing the human touch and the multi-functionality of objects. Through carving and mark-making, she evokes the complexities of Black identity, the legacies of Atlantic trans/slavery, and African origins, creating a dialogue between past, present, and future.

Giles received her BFA from Mississippi State University in 2019. This spring she earned her MFA in ceramics from the University of Florida. Giles’ work has been exhibited in Mississippi, Florida, Iowa, Chicago, and New York. She received the 2021-2022 University of Florida Grinter Fellowship and the Sam B. Hamilton Noxubee Refuge Fellowship in 2019.

Dante Gambardella
2024 Quigley-Hiltner Fellow
Bozeman, Montana

Gambardella grew up in the Bay Area and discovered ceramics after moving to Bozeman, MT. While studying at Montana State University, he became deeply interested in wood firing and using local materials—techniques ceramicists have practiced for thousands of years.

In recent years, Gambardella has expanded his practice to include ceramic furniture and glaze paintings. Still, he remains deeply inspired by Montana’s rich geology and the unique experience of working with local materials. To him, the world of clay is about engaging with his community, contributing to a network of shared knowledge, and continuously challenging himself as an artist.

Jason Lee Starin
2024 Sarah Frederick Scholar
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Jason Lee Starin has shown in numerous group exhibitions throughout the USA, most notably at Atlantic Gallery, NYC., Katherine E. Nash Gallery, MN., Law Warschaw Gallery, MN., Woodmere Art Museum, PA., Gravity Gallery, MA., American Museum of Ceramic Art, CA., The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design, NC., GCA Gallery, NYC., Arizona State University Art Museum, Ceramics Research Center, AZ., The Clay Studio, PA., and San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, TX.

Starin is currently a full-term artist in residence at The Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT. From 2015 – 2019, Starin was a full-term resident artist at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA. In 2017, Starin received an Independence Foundation Fellowship Grant to research his interest in Geomythology during a two-month stay at the NES Artist Residency in Skagaströnd, Iceland. From 2015 to 2020, Starin served as a Faculty Member as well as the Ceramic Shop Supervisor and Technician in the Craft and Material Studies Program at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. During that time, he also taught Advanced Handbuilding classes at The Clay Studio. From 2013 to 2014, Starin was the Lead Ceramic Technician and Studio manager for the Ceramic Department of Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, OR. He has held positions with BDDW, LLC., Mudshark Studios, LLC., Michael Curry Design, Inc., The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, as well as Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.

Starin received his MFA in Applied Craft and Design from Pacific Northwest College of Art and Oregon College of Art and Craft in 2011, and his BFA in Ceramics from Grand Valley State University in 1999. In 1998, he studied Conceptual Art and Sculpture at Kingston University, Kingston, United Kingdom.