05/19/2026
Baltimore Clayworks is proud to feature Steven Young Lee of Helena, Montana, in “Contemporary Porcelain: From Tradition to Innovation”, on view now through May 23, 2026. Steven Young Lee is a contemporary artist whose porcelain work examines identity, belonging, and the layered complexities of cultural inheritance. Based in Helena, Montana, Lee has exhibited and lectured internationally and spent 2004–2005 working and researching in Jingdezhen, China, and Seoul, South Korea. From 2006 to 2022, he served as the Resident Artist Director of the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, where he sustained an active studio practice while helping lead one of the most respected ceramic institutions in the country.
“As the son of immigrant parents, I am often situated between cultures. Living and working in metropolitan centers as well as rural communities has raised questions of identity and assimilation. As a second generation Korean American, my identity has felt neither fully Korean or American, and it is through my work where I investigate topics of race and belonging. I cross-reference decorative themes from various sources, East and West, to set up unfamiliar, discordant or ironic relationships. Color associations are used to investigate cultural associations and context they are viewed in. Intentionally deconstructing vessels recalibrates notions of classical perfection and beauty and seeks to critique ideas of failure and expectation, craft skill and the innate value of an object. By morphing traditional decorative practices, I am challenging a deep history of craft protocols and questioning the boundaries and authenticity of identity, ownership and intent.”
Experience Steven Young Lee’s work in “Contemporary Porcelain: From Tradition to Innovation”, an exhibition that explores the enduring legacy of porcelain while showcasing the bold ways artists are redefining this historic material today. On view March 21 – May 23, 2026, in person and online.
https://baltimoreclayworks.org/event/contemporary-porcelain-from-tradition-to-innovation/
