Shanna Fliegel

Shanna Fliegel grew up in northwest New Jersey. Only 50 minutes outside the city and a short hike from the Appalachian Trail, her early experiences shaped a love for both urban spaces and the natural environment.  Leaving NJ to attend James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA in 1997 functioned as a significant catalyst into the field of ceramics. The beauty of the Shenandoah Valley permeated her perspectives and work.

After earning her BFA in Studio Art she accepted a year-long residency at the Cub Creek Foundation in Appomattox, Virginia.  Her experiences and relationships here strengthened Shanna's background in wood-firing, native clays and surface.

Shanna received her MFA in Studio Art from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville in 2009 and taught as Assistant Professor of Art at Montana State University, Billings from 2010-2014. Currently, she lives in Byfield, Massachusetts where she teaches art and ceramics at the Governor's Academy

Artist's Statement

My sculptural vessels and wall tablets are quiet storytellers. Clay surfaces are etched with memory, emotion, and time. Inspired by ancient tablets and fleeting marks from the present, I layer hand-drawn lines with ephemeral washes of color, where underglaze blooms meet sharp incisions. These works live between the urban and the organic, the mathematical and the surreal, offering fragments of the Anthropocene and echoes of personal history. Each piece becomes an artifact of reflection, inviting viewers to trace their own narratives through texture, symbol, and form.