Seth Nagelberg is an artist and designer working in clay. He strives to close the gap between craft and design. Nagelberg says, “I choose clay for its properties. Whether working from ready-made objects or starting from a sketch, I strive to create a cohesive language of forms that inform and inspire new designs. My exploration of manufacturing techniques and technology enables me to connect the past and future of ceramics.”

He earned a BFA from the University of Hartford and MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. In 2015 Nagelberg published his first book, Batch Manufacturing for Ceramics: Models and Molds, Process to Product. His work has been published in Ceramics: Art and Perception and American Craft magazine. Nagelberg is the Ceramics department chair at Cleveland Institute of Art.

“Observing the natural world is a way to understand our manmade world. Both exterior and interior. Making connections. Seeking balance. I create objects inspired by how nature organizes its parts, elements and processes. While mathematics is used to explain what is evident in nature, I seek to use natures principles to create objects. I do not wish to make a beautiful flower that I see. I wish to make an object that is created the way that nature creates. I combine what I know about making art with what I don’t know about the world around me. Using molds and making parts is a way to construct the forms I seek. While molds can be used to make identical objects, I also use molds to construct unique forms, assembling parts in new and multiple ways. I often use a single color, to emphasize the forms with light and shadow. Sharp edges and straight lines are defined as the glaze breaks revealing the clay beneath them.”