Biography

Ellie Naeger is a ceramic and fiber artist specializing in sculptural work inspired by high fashion and its influences on culture. She is a graduating senior at Kansas City Art Institute, receiving her BFA in 2025. While at KCAI, she has been able to achieve goals like receiving awards such as the Lead Bank Emerging Artist Award, Thelma and Richard Notkin Ceramic Award, and the Mckeown Special Project Award allowing her to continue to expand upon her practice. 

Artist Statement

My work is composed of many small components that come together to create objects existing between function and adornment. Through this accumulation, I explore how form, weight, and density shape both objects and the spaces around them, revealing a balance of tension, harmony, and movement. I am drawn to ceramic material’s unique nature—how it captures the memory of its once-soft, impressionable state even as it hardens, embodying the duality of strength and fragility. These qualities, often seen as opposites, are deeply intertwined in my practice.

Working modularly allows me to investigate how ceramic forms interact with the body, the domestic space, and the gallery environment. I combine ceramic components with fiber elements such as thread and wire, creating structures that bridge stillness with motion, and structure with softness. Through repetition and accumulation, I embrace minimalism to achieve a sense of abundance and intimacy. The process of making becomes a meditation, where tedium gives way to intuition, allowing the subconscious to emerge from silence. My work balances careful planning with responsiveness, inviting unexpected moments and organic connections. High contrasts in form, material, and scale create depth and rhythm. Drawing from ceramics, the body, and the natural world, my sculptures form both physical works and conceptual connections.