Artist: Chance Taylor
Chance Taylor, TENNESEE
View Artist's Products
ARTIST BIO
Chance Taylor is a ceramicist and educator who grew up in Fargo, North Dakota. He graduated with a BFA (2018) in ceramics from North Dakota State University and received his MFA (2023) from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Taylor’s work draws upon his fascination with an object’s purpose to facilitate culture and fulfill our psychological, aesthetic, and practical needs through everyday use and ritual.
Since graduating, Taylor has participated in dozens of juried and invitational exhibitions across the nation, and shown his work in publications such as Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated. He has taught as a lecturer in Art History at Truman State University, Kirksville, MO and currently teaches Ceramics and 3-Dimensional design courses at Eastern Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN.
ARTIST STATMENT
Curvilinear, soft, and voluminous, my pots have an expansive feeling that connotes growth, abundance, and generosity. Vessels are divided symmetrically using embossed lines as a means of projecting order onto their forms and enhancing their volume and curvature. This evokes the structured, recurring, and purposeful aspect of nature. I look to the experience of vitality and beauty that nature provides and translate these qualities into something tangible, useful, and nourishing in the form of functional ceramics.
By reinforcing and reflecting formal relationships throughout my vessels, I create unified, harmonious designs in which every element is considered and purposeful. Surfaces are employed to encourage and reward tactile interaction and which enhance formal decisions. It is my hope that the care of their making may translate to their user, and that this visual language may enhance the sensual experience through use.
As a potter, utility is among my primary concerns. Far from a hindrance, utility opens up new lanes of creative expression and engagement. Pots are not a mere reflection of life, but a participant in it. They invite you into the experience and are incomplete absent your participation. I believe that in this capacity, as a thing that is a part of life, that something as mundane as a cup can act as both a conduit of culture and community and as an object of aesthetic and intellectual contemplation.
Pots are tools set in service of a greater whole. Much of their content, the way we perceive and understand them, comes from their relationship to us and to our needs. Covered jars speak to preservation, separation, commemoration, even mourning; teapots, pitchers, and serving bowls become icons of community, speaking to ideas related to gathering, sharing, and generosity. In this way, these vessels speak to fundamental realities of what it is to be human.
EDUCATION
2020-2023
University of Missouri (MU), Columbia, MO
Master of Fine Art
2014-2018
North Dakota State University (NDSU), Fargo, ND
Bachelor of Fine Art
ACADEMIC TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2025- Present Adjunct Professor, ETSU, Johnson City, TN
Courses Taught:
ARTA-3091-200 - Beginning Throwing
[SP 2025, S 2025, SP 2026, S 2026]
ARTA-1140-001 - Core Studio II
[F 2025]
2024 Lecturer in Art, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO
Courses Taught:
ART-3286 - Contemporary Art History
[F 2024]
2020-2023 Graduate Instructor of Record, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
Courses Taught:
ART_VS 3100 - Wheel-Thrown Ceramics
[F 2022, SP 2023]
ART_VS-1040 - 3D Materials and Methods
[F 2020, F 2021, SP 2022]
ART-VS-1100 - Introduction to Ceramics
[SP 2021]
REALTED TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2025- Present Instructor, Hunter’s Hearth Pottery, Johnson City, TN
Courses Taught:
All levels of ceramics
[2025-present]
Special Topic:Dinnerware sets
[2025]
Special Topic: Teaware
2021-2024 Instructor, Access Arts, Columbia MO
Courses Taught:
All levels of Hand-Building and Wheel Throwing
[2021-24]
Special Topic: experimental firing techniques
[2024]
Raku Workshop
[2024]
Wood and Soda Firing Workshop
[2024]
2019- 2020 Teaching Artist, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
Courses Taught:
Introduction to ceramics
[2019-2020]
RELATED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2025- Present Head of Product Development, Blue Ridge Clay Co., Johnson City, TN
Responsibilities:
-Development and testing of all clay bodies .
2024- Present Studio Technician, Ceramics Department, ETSU, Johnson City, TN
Responsibilities:
-Maintaining studio space and all studio equipment
-Maintain all studio glazes, slips, clays. etc.
-Fire student work (electric, gas, soda, and wood kilns)
-Track and order materials
-Manage Alumni Artists in Residence/student workers
2024 Ceramics Studio Manager, Access Arts, Columbia, MO
Responsibilities:
-Maintain studio, studio equipment, and studio grounds
-Coordinate with instructors
-Establish course schedule and curriculum
-Track and order Materials
-Fire student work
-Mentor Artists in Residence
-Organize Conference Trips (NCECA)
2023 Woodshop Monitor, MU, Columbia, MO
2021-2022 Ceramic Studio Technician, MU, Columbia, MO
2018 - 2020 Research Assistant, Michael Strand, NDSU, Fargo, ND
Responsibilities:
Aided in the production, transport, and installation of artwork
Catalogued and organized objects collected during exhibitions
2016 - 2020 Ceramics Studio Assistant, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
2014 - 2015 Ceramics Student Worker, NDSU, Fargo, ND
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 Verdant, In-Tandem Gallery, Bakersville, NC
2024 Florescence, Columbia College, Hardwick Gallery, Columbia, MO
2023 Conglomerate, MFA Thesis Exhibition, MU, George Caleb Bingham Gallery,
Columbia, MO
2022 Unearthed: Works by Chance Taylor & Erin Drake, Montminy Gallery,
Columbia, MO
2020 Confluence, Flakol Gallery, NDSU, Fargo, ND
2018 Ruminations, BFA Exhibition, Memorial Union Gallery, NDSU, Fargo, ND
2017 Elemental, BFA Preview Exhibition, Flakol Gallery, NDSU, Fargo, ND
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 MU Alumni Exhibition, Montminy Gallery, Columbia, MO
Artists Making Artists, Columbia Art League, Columbia, MO
Artist in Residence Showcase, Access Arts Cottle Gallery, Columbia, Mo
2022 Graduate Student showcase, MU Bingham Gallery, Columbia, MO
Woodfire Group Show, Access Arts Cottle Gallery, Columbia, MO
2021 Graduate Student showcase, MU Bingham Gallery, Columbia, MO
2015-18 Annual Student Juried Exhibition, Flakol Gallery, NDSU, Fargo, ND
[2015, 2016, 2017, 2018]
JURIED EXHIBITIONS
2025 Yellow Springs Ceramics National, Historic Yellow Springs, Chester Springs, PA
Teapots XI, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
Strictly Functional Pottery National, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA
“The Strictly Functional Pottery National is a national juried competition of 75-100 quality pieces of functional pottery. The annual event has been held since 1993 and is recognized as one of the top ceramic exhibitions in the country.” -
Juried National VIII, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
20 years of Teapots, KC Craft Alliance, Kansas City, MO
Last Call X, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN
2024 Yellow Springs Ceramics National, Historic Yellow Springs, Chester Springs, PA
Strictly Functional Pottery National, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster PA
Wood, Soda, Salt, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
Teabowl National, KC Clay Guild, Kansas City, MO
Southern Miss Ceramics National, UoSM Museum of Art, Hattiesburg, MS
Clay National XVIII, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
International Cup 24, Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT
Mug Madness 2024, Saltstone Ceramics, Seattle, WA
2023 Pitcher Perfect 3, Good Earth Pottery, Bellingham, WA
Teapots X, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD
16th annual Form and Function Cup Show, Amelia Center Gallery, Panama
City, FL
2022 Clay National XVI, Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
Strictly Functional Pottery National, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA
15th annual form and function cup show, Amelia Center Gallery, Panama City, Fl
2021 Juried National VI, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
The Clay Cup V: Vessel, Icon Canvas, MU Bingham Gallery, Columbia, MO
406 cup show, Wildfire Ceramics Studio, Missoula, MT
2019 Cup show invitational, Abel Contemporary Gallery, Stoughton, WI
2018 International Cup, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT
Working Pots IV, James May Gallery, Algoma, WI
Cup show, Clay Art Vegas, Las Vegas NV
2017 Functional Relationships, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art,
Evansville, IL
Cup: The Intimate Object XIII, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL
The Many Faces of Copper, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN
INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS
2026 Yunomi Invitational, Clay Akar, Iowa City, IA
Material Mugs XI, Companion Gallery, Humboldt TN
Functional Ceramics Workshop 2026, Ohio Craft Museum Wayne Center for the
Arts, Wooster, OH
2025 Objects of Desire, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
Artist Showcase: New works by Chance Taylor, Plough Gallery, Tifton GA
6th annual cup exhibition, Artlink Contemporary Gallery, Fort Wayne IN
Art Axis-Artist Spotlight - Online Fundraising Exhibition, www.artaxis.org
10th annual cup invitational, Plough Gallery. Tifton, GA
Material Mugs X, Companion Gallery, Humboldt TN
Form & Function: The Art of The Pour, Alpha Fired Arts, Sacramento, CA
Hot Chocolate Mugs II, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL
Annual Cup Show, Abel Contemporary Gallery, Stoughton, WI
2024 Winter Showcase, Montminy Gallery, Columbia, MO
Margarita Invitational, Companion Gallery, Humboldt, TN
Fall Showcase, Montminy gallery, Columbia MO
2022 Varsity Art XXVI, Art St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
2021 Fall Showcase, Dakota Fine Art Gallery, Fargo, ND
Cup: The Intimate object XVII, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL
Woodfire Works IV, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL
NDSU Alumni Show, Memorial Union Gallery, Fargo, ND
2019 Second Annual Cup Show, Hudgens Center for Clay, Duluth, GA
Cup the Intimate Object XV, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL
Mugs Around Town: Potters of Fargo, Dakota Fine Art Gallery Fargo, ND
2018 Cup: The Intimate Object XIV, Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL
Cone pack Invitational: A Place at the Table, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
“33 ceramic artists have been invited to participate in the exhibition, at the Table, to create a place setting reflecting their individual artistic voice. Using the table as a metaphor for welcoming, inclusion, and as a place of honest conversation, the project aims to distill the notion that changes start at the table and permeate outwards.” -Plains Art Museum curatorial statement
RESIDENCIES
2024-Present Visiting Artist, Ceramics, ETSU, Johnson City, TN
[Three-year]
2023-24 Artist in Residence, Access Arts , Columbia, MO
[One-year, funded]
2019 Alumni Artist In Residence, NDSU, Fargo, ND
[One-year]
2018 NDSU South Africa Residency, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban &
Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa [Summer, 2018
VISITING ARTIST LECTURES/PRESENTATIONS/CRITIQUES
2026 Public Lecture, Building a Career After Graduate School, NDSU, Fargo, ND
Public Workshop,Teapots and Utilitarian Design, NDSU, Fargo, ND
BFA Capstone Critiques - Ceramics, NDSU, Fargo, ND
2025 MFA Midterm Critique, Eastern Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
Public Lecture, Florescence: The Gesture of Tending a Garden, WNMU, Silver
City, NM
Public Workshop, Pouring Vessels and Altered Forms, WNMU, Silver City, NM
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
2026- Tennessee Craft - Northeastern Chapter Member
2024- Art Axis (https://artaxis.org/artist/chance-taylor/)
2018- National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA)
JURY ACTIVITY
2026 Art Axis, new member selection committee
2024 Invited Judge, Clay it Up 8th Annual Inter-School Day of Clay, Springfield, MO
2019 North Dakota Region Art Juror, Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2026 Technofile: Recipes: Lush Layers by Shelsea Dodd and Chance Taylor
Ceramics Monthly, May 2026 Issue, pg. 64
“Two of Ceramics Monthly’s 2026 Emerging Artists share a handful of recipes from their studios to help you achieve their rich, soft, and textural fired surfaces.” - C.M.Eds.
Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artists, Ceramics Monthly, May 2026 issue, pg. 51
“This year’s Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist submission pool included the work of over 600 artists…the twenty-one finalists in the pages that follow represent the fresh voices in our field, building and expanding on what has come before.” - C.M. Eds
Altered States: Chance Taylor, Pottery Making Illustrated, Readership wide Competition, Jan/FEb 2026 issue, pg 56.
2025 Exposure, Ceramics Monthly, Oct. 2025 Issue, pg. 15
A feature of work from my solo exhibition Verdant at In-Tandem Gallery.
Function Focused, Ceramics Monthly, readership-wide competition, Sept. 2025,
pg 30.
“Selected from more than 200 entries, the 18 functional ceramic pieces that follow were made with their use in mind. These works, selected for their exceptional skill and creativity, showcase the many ways potters approach function.” - C.M. Eds.
2024 For a Feast, Ceramics Monthly, readership wide competition, September 2024
Issue pg. 35
“Selected from more that 330 entries, the 18 pieces that follow encourage users to gather, share a meal, celebrate, or mark a special occasion. These functional works were chosen for their exceptional skill and creativity.” - C.M. Eds.
CONSULTANCIES
2025 Consultant, Blue Ridge Clay Company, Johnson City, TN
Acted as a consultant for the design of their production facility (including mixing vats, filter press, muller mixer machine,industrial pugmill, conveyors for an automatic bagging station, water recirculation etc.)
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
WNMU Visiting Artist Library
NDSU Visiting Artist Library
ETSU Visiting Artist Library
GALLERY REPRESENTATION
2026- Highland Studio and Gallery, South Bend, IN
2025- In-Tandem Gallery, Bakersville, NC
2025- Plough Gallery, Tifton, GA
2025- Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
2025- Visual Index Gallery, Winston Salem, NC
2020- Dakota Fine Art, Fargo, ND
SKILLS
Ceramics:
Extensive experience wheel-throwing
Extensive experience in hand-building
Proficient in mold making
Strong understanding of glaze chemistry and claybody development
research into food safe and durable glazes, material toxicology
Studio:
Extensive experience firing electric, gas, salt, soda, raku, and most conventional styles of wood kilns.
Experience with routine kiln and equipment maintenance and repair Including:
-Burner and blower maintenance and repair
-Electric kiln repair and maintenance
-pug mill repair and maintenance
-slab roller maintenance
-electric wheel maintenance and repair