After years working alongside his dad at the family bronze foundry, Qwist received his BFA from Colorado State University and his MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 2016, he was selected as an emerging artist by Ceramics Monthly magazine and awarded a summer residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana. He currently lives in Southern California where he teaches sculpture and ceramics at the University of Redlands. Qwist has shown nationally and internationally, and has been commissioned to create public works in California and Colorado. He most recently was on a year long grant at the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program and last year was a NCECA Emerging Artist.
Visit Qwist Joseph’s website and Instagram account.
Featured work
Filling Station, 2020
My practice is an intuitive cycle of risk, failure, and reinvention. Although frustrating, these missteps pull me into the present moment and foster greater authenticity in my work. I follow my gut and push against stylistic conventions in hopes of capturing the unwieldy nature of how a thought transitions into the physical world. Freezing these ephemeral moments in permanent materials allows me to create a concrete connection between the past, present and future. This tested record sheds light on the inescapable effects of life, encouraging vulnerability and self-reflection.
