"My sculptural ceramic work is an exploration of the underlying interconnectivity at the heart of nature. I am interested in articulating a symbolic representation of the inherent interdependencies that connect all beings in a vast web of complex systems and relationships. My intention is to emphasize the animating energy streaming through all forms of life. The repetition of certain motifs throughout my body of work - such as the spiral, the vulva, fractal-like patterns, root systems, waterways and mycelial networks - all function to highlight the generative dynamism and interdependent unfolding fundamental to the cycles of life, death and rebirth. These themes are not only articulated through the visual impact of my finished work, but are also reflected in the process I engage to create each piece. I see my creative process as an ever-evolving relationship with clay. The forms that emerge are the cocreative fruition of a dynamic dialogue and this process mirrors how all organic systems arise out of complex interrelationships. Simultaneously, my process draws from the taproot of humanity’s ancestral past, as tempering clay into ceramic is one of the earliest known forms of art. Rooted in this lineage, my hope is that my work evokes in viewers a visceral felt-sense of our connection to a greater whole.” Lisa River Schenkelberg (b. 1979) is a ceramic artist from Cleveland, Ohio. She studied art and psychology at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York where she graduated in 2002 with honors and a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art. After graduation, she remained in Saratoga Springs for a yearlong independent study with Leslie Ferst at the Skidmore College ceramics studio before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2003. Over the next decade, she continued to hone her craft at various studios throughout the Bay Area. During this time, she also received her Master’s Degree in Integral Counseling Psychology and went through the rigorous training and internship requirements to become licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist. In 2015, she began sharing her art with the public. In 2020, after 17 years in the Bay Area, she moved back to Cleveland, Ohio with her partner. Her work has been shown in galleries throughout the United States, has been featured in various publications and has been recognized through various awards and invitationals. Currently, she dedicates her time to both her art practice and her work as a holistic counselor. She sees her whole life as a creative process and her art is informed by her various interests in Earth-based spirituality, animism, ancestral studies, symbolism, psychology, deep ecology, collective liberation, and the restoration of living in harmony with nature.