Meet Sarah House | Ceramic Artist and Arts Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah House and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’ve always been an artist, from the moment I could pick up a crayon I’ve been making. I completed both a BFA and an MFA and had been happily making art and teaching up until 2020. When everything shut down, I knew I wanted to make a big change, to scale back my teaching and make art more full time. My big break came in 2022 when I was awarded a Career Advancement Grant from the Center for Craft, which really propelled me and my business. Through their support I was able to take the leap to professional artist. Now I officially have gallery representation with Ann Connelly Fine Art, and Baton Rouge Gallery. I recently hired my first employee and have some big commissions in the works. It’s all happening, and I’m only gaining momentum.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a ceramic sculptor working primarily in porcelain. I’m super excited and proud about the new body of work I started last year. It’s all about interconnection through patterns in nature. I use abstracted forest imagery to create organic and mathematical works that are familiar but ambiguous. I invite the viewer to see a reef, a body, a root system and find connection. Getting where I am today was certainly not easy. I overcome challenges by being absolutely relentless. There are many failures on the road to success as an artist, and I shake it off and keep going. I think being a ceramic artist has trained me well to deal with failure, as the process lends itself to cracks, breaks, melting, glaze defects and kiln malfunctions. You have to just keep going. Another huge factor in my success is personal connections; the people and organizations who have lead me to opportunities. If an artist wants to find success they have to not give up and network. Apply for everything they are eligible for and take risks. I don’t believe in luck, I believe that things happen when opportunity meets preparedness.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in New Orleans, which has its fair share of sweet spots. I’d start with a bike ride around town, maybe up to the City Park and sit in the shade of a massive live oak tree for a picnic. Chances are there would be a music, food, or theater festival happening which we’d check out the next day. There are many, many restaurants and bars to drop in on. Pretty much anything you’d want, from the diviest of dive bars to fancy craft cocktails and everywhere in between. There would be a day for seeing art, up and down Julia St, NOMA, the CCC, the Odgen Museum, and lots of gallery along St Claude ave. There would definitely be live music in the evenings at any of the music clubs along Frenchman St. Though to be honest, one of my favorite things to do is sit down to dinner with a few friends in a backyard. When I have friends come visit I love when we make time to have a quiet night over a bottle of wine and tasty food with my loved ones. My community here is wonderful and weird and I feel quite lucky to have such a rich chosen family.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The people around me have had a huge impact on my trajectory as an artist, and it all started with family. My uncle was a practicing visual artist, though he died before I was born. Then I came along to become the artist in the family. They never outright said it as to not put pressure on me, though I think my family felt that he was living on in me, and so encouraged me to pursue my art. As I have grown into adulthood, I find myself surrounded by an incredible chosen family, many of them artists in their own right. We support each other, cheer each other on when we succeed, and commiserate together when we fail. When folks ask me what’s so great about living in New Orleans, I always say the people of the city, my community. I’ve had some amazing teachers and elders in my life, including Julie York, who was my first mentor in college, and Deb Bedwell, who became my ceramics grandmother. Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Center for Craft. In 2007 they awarded me a Windgate Lamar Fellowship, and in 2022, a Career Advancement Grant. They are an incredible organization and have grown to grant over $400,000 annually to craft artists, and craft art historians. I’m beyond grateful for their support. It has fanned the flames under me to keep going, and to prove that I deserve their trust. An artist is not an island. There is a vast interconnected web of human connection and support around all of us, and I’m thankful to be there for others too.

Website: Sarahhouseceramics.com

Instagram: sarahhouseart

Other: Sarah_House_Ceramics on Tiktok

Image Credits
Steven Kennedy Leone Julitte Gigi Hall