Jason Briggs

About

Jason Briggs, born in 1972 in Wausau, Wisconsin, is a contemporary sculptor specializing in porcelain works that explore tactile fascination, surreal eroticism, and primal impulses inspired by early encounters with imagery like Playboy spreads. He earned his BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1995 and MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1999. Following his studies, Briggs completed a summer residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana, and served three years as artist-in-residence at the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Smithville, Tennessee. From 1999 to 2012, he ran the ceramics department at Belmont University in Nashville, gaining insights into adjunct labor while developing his practice[1][2][5]. Currently based near Rapid City in the Black Hills of South Dakota with his wife Meagan, a rancher, and their family, Briggs maintains a studio amid a rural life with animals and children. His career includes lecturing as an Emerging Artist at the NCECA conference in 2008, visiting artist roles at Taiwan National University of Art in Taipei and various U.S. universities, and features in publications like Ceramics Art & Perception issue #79 ('Not So Private Parts'). Briggs' grotesque, flesh-like porcelain sculptures challenge viewers to imagine touch, blending abstract forms with fetishistic details like hair and nail polish, evoking unease, curiosity, and a surreal fusion of the organic and handmade[2][3][4][5].

Contemporary surrealism with grotesque, erotic, tactile porcelain forms