by BARB BERGGOETZ
Brown County, Indiana, potter Dylan Quackenbush says working with three-dimensional objects and transforming clay into functional art pieces matches his personality and fosters his creativity.
“With pottery, as soon as you throw something on the wheel, you have some kind of result,” says Quackenbush, 27. “I like the step-by-step process where you can manipulate your work in separate ways.”
He’s drawn to earth tones, and makes mugs, plates, bowls, and vases using his handmade, brick, gas-fired kiln, with a 7-foot arch and 15-foot chimney. He also creates pottery depicting what he calls “grotesque” images portraying drug addiction—a problem he feels needs more attention.
Quackenbush was influenced by his grandmother —a teacher and painter— to become an artist. In college, he switched his focus from painting after being captivated by a ceramics class. He graduated in 2017 with a B.F.A. from the Indiana University Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design.
After two artist residencies in Iowa, Quackenbush moved back to Brown County in 2019. There, the owner of a 150-acre farm allowed him to convert a horse barn into a studio in exchange for Quackenbush working as a groundskeeper and tending animals.
His work is on display and available to buy at the Hoosier Art Gallery in Nashville, Indiana, and can be viewed on Instagram @artandpottery_by_quack.
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