Jennifer Hayes

I am a multidisciplinary artist working with ceramics, bronze, wood, and textiles. Based in Northern Virginia, my practice uses contemporary craft methods and narrative to explore memory, desire, and the ways stories can be carried through material. 

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Growing up as an avid reader, I was captivated by fairy tales, fables, and mythology. I would often read by my nightlight, until night turned into morning, entranced by the tales of witches, magic spells, and talking animals. When I wasn’t reading, I was writing and illustrating my own stories.  Learning to sew as a child gave me an awareness of how material could be shaped, stitched, and transformed, while later experiments with clay revealed the possibilities of building form through touch and process. These early experiences continue to shape my work. 

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My current body of work embraces both craft and storytelling. Through sculpture and functional objects, I revisit the imagery of fables and fairy tales, where recurring animal figures appear in shifting contexts. My narratives capture the tension between logic and instinct, revealing the emotions that lie in between. Each piece uses a range of techniques including slab building, wheel throwing, coiling, and casting, and is completed through layered surface treatments. Working across clay, metal, wood, and fiber, I use material processes not only to construct objects but also to weave narratives of memory, longing, and transformation.