About: Artist Ben Ahlvers

BFA, Ceramics, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
MFA , Ceramics, Ohio University

Ben Ahlvers is the Education Coordinator at the Lawrence Arts Center in Kansas. Ben holds a BFA in Ceramics from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and a MFA in Ceramics from Ohio University.

I am interested in identity and how it is formed. Drawing upon the experiences and environments from my past helps me to understand and make connections to my identity. With in the context of my work, I illustrate those elements that make up my identity. It is important to depict these elements in a variety of forms. The work moves beyond giving a face to internal characteristics, and contains evidence of the activity of self-examination.

My understanding and use of clay is essential to my creative process. In my experience there is no substitute to the responsiveness and physicality that clay possesses. Through the process of creating art I go through the experience of looking at my attitude in situations, how I deal with adversity, and what brings me joy. By isolating these elements into different pieces in the show, the viewer can get a sense of the idea that the parts makes up the whole.

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