Resident Artist

Photo by Larry Wagner

Maxwell Mustardo

Medium: Clay
Residency: September 1, 2019–
December 1, 2019

Maxwell Mustardo suffers from a healthy obsession with artifacts. Born and raised in rural New Jersey, Max graduated from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2017 with bachelor’s degrees in fine art and art history. During his time at Alfred, Max earned multiple awards and grants that afforded him opportunities to study material culture and industrial design in China, Japan, South Korea, and Italy. His ceramic practice currently encompasses scholarly writing, curation, teaching, design, and sculpture. Max’s work has been exhibited throughout the U.S., most recently in California, including venues in Davis, Mendocino, Graton, Crockett, Roseville, and San Francisco.

Whether working in clay or writing, Max’s practice revolves around broad, reverential notions of the vessel, the body, and language. From utilitarian design to more eccentric sculptural investigations, he toys with meandering identities, imbricated indexicality, ambiguous materiality, and provisional functionality. Max approaches making as a, “critical and dynamic opportunity to stimulate evolution and antagonize static thinking” by continually dissecting his own processes, re-visiting forms, and re-framing themes.  He sees objects as vital witnesses and participants, reflections and poems, both animated and imagined.

To learn more, visit https://www.mustardom.com/

Max’s residency is generously underwritten by Scott and Judy Nyquist.

More Residents

June 1, 2023 –
August 31, 2023
Medium: FIBER
June 1, 2023 –
August 31, 2023
Medium: FIBER
March 1, 2023 –
June 1, 2023
Medium: FIBER
December 1, 2022 –
June 1, 2023
Medium: Wood
December 1, 2022 –
February 28, 2023
Medium: Clay
September 1, 2022 –
December 1, 2022
Medium: CRAFT + PHOTOGRAPHY

The application for the 2025 – 2026 cycle opens December 1, 2025. It’s free to apply!

The Artist Residency Program is designed to offer time and space for craft artists to focus on their creative work and interact with the public. The program supports emerging, mid-career, and established artists working in all craft media, including but not limited to clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and mixed media.

The application for the 2025 – 2026 cycle opens December 1, 2025. It’s free to apply!

The Artist Residency Program is designed to offer time and space for craft artists to focus on their creative work and interact with the public. The program supports emerging, mid-career, and established artists working in all craft media, including but not limited to clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood and mixed media.

Skip to content