Joe Batt is originally from South Dakota, in the U.S. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of South Dakota and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Montana. Currently Joe is full time art faculty at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Washington. He has also taught at California State University in Chico, California; the University of Montana, in Missoula, Montana; Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington; and Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts in Victoria, B.C.

Recent work includes narrative clay figures, installation, and mixed media pieces which feature animals and children as the main characters. These works are part of an ongoing exploration of innocence, endurance, and our relationship with technology and the natural world. For a list of selected exhibitions see Joe Batt – Ceramic Artist (joebattceramics.com)

Joe has been a McKnight Artist in Residence at the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has also done residencies at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, Maine, Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Montana, and Dunedin School of Art in Dunedin, New Zealand.


My colorful, narrative clay figures delve into innocence and endurance, and they are an exploration of our place in the natural world. Growing up in rural South Dakota continues to impact my ceramic work, and living in the Pacific Northwest also provides endless inspiration. The forms are hand- built with stoneware clay. Colored pencils are added after the firing. Sometimes there is a smoke-firing step before the color is added.

Some ceramic artists who have impacted my work are Arthur Gonzalez, Edith Garcia, Robert Arneson, and Richard Shaw.

My digital and mixed-media collages are labor intensive and a lot of fun to make. They start with rough compositions which gradually integrate photos I have taken with analog sketches from my sketchbooks. The photos are often of local subjects which draw me in. The sketches are often studies for clay pieces. Sometimes it is a story or experience I am after, and sometimes it is just a line, texture, or color. The wood and dimensionality come from teaching sculpture and mixed media, including pop-up cards.

A few artists who have guided me in sculpture and mixed media are

Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson, H.C. Westermann, and Marisol Escobar.

A couple of books currently fueling my journey are

An Immense World, by Ed Young, and On Trails, by Robert Moor.