Member Interview
Jennifer Joh
Hello there! I’m..
Jennifer, or Junghye Joh.
My everyday occupation is..
I’m an artist, a grandmother, a mother, and a wife.
I’ve been doing pottery since..
At the University in Seoul, Korea (where I received a BA in fine arts) was my first experience working in clay- However, I was not exclusively a ceramic artist; it was among many traditional fine art techniques taught as part of the curriculum back in 70’s. I actually started focusing on ceramic work after I came to live in America. In 2005, I joined an art community/cultural center called “Banana Factory” in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and started working more with clay and mixed media with clay. Then in 2013, I joined The Potters’ Studio once my husband and I moved to Berkeley, CA, where I continued working in ceramics. Before the pandemic, I used to come to the studio to work, but now I mostly work from my home studio.
What was the first memorable clay piece you made?
During my time working in “Banana Factory”, I made my very first ceramic piece: A corn maiden. It was made out of red clay, and it was then I fell in love with clay as my new medium. It also was quite a special experience as the corn maidens were supposedly only produced by the Native Americans at the time. But luckily we were able to learn it since the workshop was taught by a Native American ceramic artist who, at the time, was doing an art residency in that space.
Are you team hand-building or wheel throwing?
I found wheel throwing very technical and hard (haha!). Personally, hand-building was always more attractive because it was fairly easy for me to learn the techniques on my own. Since I have a strong background in sewing – like pattern making, cutting, tailoring garments, crocheting, and knitting – it enabled me to have a much easier time transferring those skills to creating a flat slab of clay into a three-dimensional shape in hand-building.
How has being a mother and a grandmother contributed to your creativity?
It taught me how to use my time efficiently. I had dedicated a period of my life to raising my grandchildren, so my own children could continue to focus on their careers after marriage. Finding ways to juggle my time was a daily battle. I often found myself running around, squeezing in my ceramic work while multi-tasking my grandchildren’s school schedule, sports activities, and after-school extra-curriculums. Every second and minute had to be used wisely during this time. But it ended up teaching me to be more efficient with my time, which still helps me to this day.
What inspires you the most- Form, Glaze or Firing?
Form. My inspiration comes from nature and its organic shapes. This is one of the reasons my ceramic pieces often use a very limited amount of glazes, or no glazes at all to stay close to its raw natural texture.
A piece of advice for working in ceramics that helped me a lot was..
Being patient and learning from other artists. Especially in craft art, I believe the core learning process involves seeing others’ work, and trying their techniques until we mastered those techniques to be our own. It takes time to develop one’s own style, and I’ve learned that this process should not frustrate me, but rather I should accept it as part of the growing pains of creativity.
Artists I admire..
Eva Hesse. I found out about Hesse’s work when my daughter gifted me her art book after she attended her show at Yale University Art Gallery in the 90’s. The style of Hesse’s work was revolutionary to me as I was mostly familiar with the traditional style of sculptural work at the time. Her unconventional approach to making eccentric sculptures were mind-blowing back then, and it still inspires me now!
If I could pick only ONE clay tool for the rest of my life, it would be..
I’m a hand builder – hence a paddler.
What’s it like being a member of the Berkeley ACCI gallery?
One of my ceramic friends suggested I apply to become an ACCI gallery* member, and I joined in March 2018. The members are involved in various things such as managing gallery shows (which happen about eight times a year), taking care of the gallery garden, and helping out floor staff during the busy season. Each gallery member needs to volunteer 38 hours per calendar year under the committee of their choice. ACCI Gallery is a dynamic member-based community of artisans, artists, and art patrons located in the heart of North Berkeley's Gourmet District. Initially conceived by a small group of artists and craftspeople in the mid-1950s, the original Arts and Crafts Cooperative was incorporated in 1959 and moved to its current location a year later.
*ACCI Gallery is a dynamic member-based community of artisans, artists, and art patrons located in the heart of North Berkeley's Gourmet District. Initially conceived by a small group of artists and craftspeople in the mid-1950s, the original Arts and Crafts Cooperative was incorporated in 1959.
Interview article and photography by Inhae Lee