John Utgaard

Education

• MFA, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
• BFA, Kansas City Art Institute

Expertise

• Ceramic Sculpture
• Handbuilding
• Wheel-throwing
• Slipcasting
• Kiln Building

Biography

John Utgaard grew up in Carbondale, Illinois, and initially became interested in Ceramics while in high school. In the summers, his father taught field geology near Red Lodge, Montana, and from an early age he was influenced by the scope and solitude of mountain landscapes. He studied at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, the Kansas City Art Institute, and at Alfred University, where he received his MFA in 1999. In addition to having been an artist in residence at the Archie Bray Foundation, the Northern Clay Center, and the Red Lodge Clay Center, he has also taught at the University of Texas at Austin and Penn State University, and currently teaches in the ceramics area of Murray State’s Department of Art and Design. John has been honored twice by NCECA, the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, first in 2003 as an Emerging Artist and again in 2007 as a Demonstrating Artist. His artwork includes both pottery and sculpture, and his recent exhibitions include the 2023 group exhibition Facets at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, Florida, the 2025 Juried National VIII at the Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Montana, and a 2025 solo exhibition, Welcome, at Schaller Gallery in Baroda, Michigan. John’s work is featured in multiple public and private collections, including at Bradley University, Pittsburgh State University, the Archie Bray Foundation, and the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum.