Jenni Ward is a ceramic sculptor and installation artist, originally from West Orange, New Jersey but currently based in Santa Cruz, California. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Hartford Art School in West Hartford, Connecticut in 1998. Since then, her work has been shown nationally and internationally, including the de Saisset Museum, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History and the Grants Pass Museum of Art. She has been invited to residencies around the world, and most recently spent 3 months at the Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taiwan. She has created public art projects in Sweden, Florida, Washington and California. Ward has a passion for adventure and travel, often finding inspiration through her exploration. A natural teacher and philanthropist, she shares her creativity with students of all ages through her business Earth Art Studio which opened in 2005 and abroad through philanthropic projects, which have involved working with children, artists and communities in post-earthquake Haiti.
Visit Jenni Ward’s website and Instagram page.
Jenni Ward was featured in Ceramics Now Magazine – Issue 2.
Featured work
Lichen Series, 2014-2021
Bone Series, 2014-2021
Jenni finds inspiration through her exploration of the natural world. Her time spent connecting to her environment and exploring way above and way below sea level is an integral part of her process. She is particularly interested in the patterns and structures of biological forms. She seeks to find connections in those patterns and a sense of place within the systems of nature. Creating ephemeral installations in nature is the heart of her art practice from which everything else evolves. She has exhibited her work in museums, galleries, forests, deserts and even on a shipwreck under the Atlantic Ocean. Her work ties science, environmentalism and art together in the hopes of inspiring others to preserve, protect and enjoy our wild spaces.
