In order to understand the art, history and culture of ceramics of Korea, Yeonsoo Kim worked with Korean masters at various onggi factories and ceramic studios as a way to secure a strong foothold in the field of Korean traditional pottery. An artistic identity began developing as life experiences and values were shared with other artists and workers. Yeonsoo began tasking himself with creating a new hand built vessel each day. These works, when amassed, act as a type of diary or a visual record of listening to his inner voice. His works explore identity and psychological conditions through the processes of making and daily life.

Yeonsoo Kim was born in Haenam, South Korea. He is a long-term resident artist at Archie Bray Foundation. Yeonsoo earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in Ceramics at Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia in Athens, GA. He was recently selected as a recipient of a 2020 Emerging Artist award by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA).

Sydnie Jimenez makes figurative work of brown youth with varied personalities to show individuality within communities on the fringes of a popular culture rooted in white supremacy. The navigation through this toxic Eurocentric foundation has shaped the way the world views brown people and how they view themselves in relation to whiteness. Figures portray conversations around style, self-expression, internal reflection, and the observation of the self by others in relation to the post-colonial society we live in along with the many connotations this has. With the rebellious and suspicious nature of her figurative work she shows the tough demeanors in which especially black and brown femmes take on or are projected onto as a defense mechanism combatting an unwelcoming society.

Sydnie Jimenez was born in Orlando, FL and spent most of her childhood in north Georgia from which she draws much inspiration. She recently graduated from SAIC with a BFA focusing in ceramic sculpture and is a recipient of the Windgate Fellowship and the SPARK Grant. Much of her work centers around the representation of black/brown youth and self-expression as a form of protest, self-care, and power within community.