Hi, I’m Em. Welcome!
Artist Statement
My work uses clay and sculpture to understand how relationships shape our internal and external worlds. As a ceramicist, I am especially drawn to exploring the body as a vessel, holding a conglomerate of memories, identities, and all physical and intangible parts that make us uniquely whole. I consider clay as flesh, using touch as a tactile record of the tension between what we contain and what we reveal. As clay transitions from malleability to permanence, I think about the ways we also change physically and psychologically. I enjoy creating sculptural work that invites the viewer in for a closer look, fostering intimate dialogue on the roles and ideas we carry in life. Through ritual, tension, containment, and contents, I consider how we relate to ourselves, to one another, and to the larger systems we inhabit.
Biographical Statement
Em Wright is a ceramic artist and sculptor based in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She is completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Eastern Michigan University with a concentration in 3D media, working across ceramics, sculpture, and digital fabrication. Her practice uses the body and the vessel to explore relationships, intimacy, identity, and the boundaries between inner and external worlds. Her work was recently shown in the New Waves 2026 Juried College Regional Exhibition, and she is a recipient of the Windgate Fellowship from Eastern Michigan University’s School of Art and Design for the 2026–2027 academic year.