Artist In Residence:

NIDHI JALAN

Nidhi Jalan is an Indian-born ceramic artist based in Brooklyn, New York. She received her MFA from Hunter College, City University of New York, and trained in ceramics in India under Ray Meeker in Pondicherry and Michel Hutin in Auroville. Her practice investigates material memory, cultural migration, and the tactile language of clay through sculptural and installation-based work.

Jalan was nominated as an emerging artist at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference in 2010 and has been featured in Susan Peterson’s Working with Clay (3rd edition). She is a recipient of the Zankel Gift Award at Hunter College and received a prize at the 55th International Competition of Ceramic Art at the Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza, Italy.

Her work has been presented in exhibitions in India and internationally, including group shows at the Queens Museum, at Rossi and Rossi in London and at the Indian Ceramic Triennale in Jaipur. She has participated in residencies at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Henry Street Settlement, Hunter College, and the European Ceramic Work Centre in the Netherlands. She has recently been invited to participate in the upcoming Taiwan Ceramic Biennale.

Alongside her studio practice, Jalan is a chef, a recipe developer for Food Network and former food entrepreneur who founded Masala Mama, a packaged foods brand. She is also an avid scuba diver.

About Our Residency Program

Our 4 month self-directed and independent Artist in Residency opportunity is offered for BIPOC, LGTBQIA+, or individuals from other historically marginalized groups. 

Our mission at Clayworks on Columbia is to create a joyful, artistic space for everyone. In particular, opening doors for a diverse group of artists in our community to learn, create and develop their unique voice in art and to expand their knowledge and experiences in ceramics. One of the ways in which we strive to accomplish this mission is to offer an Artist-In Residency Program for 1-2 artists per year.

Selected AIR’s will have full use of our studio and tools (wheels, slab roller, extruder, handbuilding tools, canvases etc). Support from Clayworks instructors and staff is always available. AIR’s are expected, at the end of their residency, to organize and host a workshop on a particular topic or technique of interest for Clayworks members and students.

If you are interested in applying for our residency program, please write to info@clayworksoncolumbia.org.