Artist StatementMy work is an observation of the natural and layered worlds of the city, where the design process starts with my own personal experiences. Using color and surface design through material and popular culture, I want each object to bring moments of joy and humor into people's daily rituals. Each drawing is created to show moments where representation as a black woman from a mixed heritage background is present within modern American ceramic art. Through examination and perception based on the materials being used, I want the public to explore the concept of the heirloom and the attachment to objects and imagery.I would like to begin exploring glazes that expand on characteristics of the color black - the fact that no two black glaze recipes are identical. Glazes can be matte or glossy, deep or shallow, metallic or hushed. Creating custom made black glazes would open a new realm of material and surface exploration for my studio practice. Formulating recipes to decorate my work will also allow me to add colors and patterns that would elevate conceptual layers within my work.The titles for the work come after each piece is fabricated. Serving as a punchline, they pull from rap songs, internet memes, facetime chats, and other parts of popular culture. I have a small sketchbook to record amusing phrases, jokes, or misunderstandings and use this as a piggy bank to store until the right piece appears in my studio. This incorporated humor and language places my work within my specific moment in time. My hopes are to highlight these experiences through my lens as a Black woman.BioSarah Hummel Jones is originally from Indiana. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH. After graduation Jones moved to Chicago, IL where she attended The School of the Art Institute Chicago for a year and received a Post Baccalaureate in Ceramics. Jones received a Masters of Fine Art in Ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2014 and shortly after graduation, moved to Brooklyn, NY and worked as a ceramic technician & assistant. Sarah Hummel Jones has been living & working in Omaha since 2016.