My passion for clay has been a constant since I first sat at a potter’s wheel in my high school ceramics class. After the first week I naively/proudly declared that I would become an artist. This decision led me to Appalachian State University for a BFA in painting/ceramics and then on to a MFA in ceramics at the University of Florida. The ceramic departments at these schools armed me with the intellectual tools to problem solve everything from aesthetics to glaze chemistry.

Over the years I have been fortunate to be a resident artist at the Canton Clay Works, The Odyssey Center for Ceramic Art, and Anderson Ranch Arts Center. These communities provided me the support I needed to push my work in new and unexpected directions. Along with my time as a production potter at Black Mountain Studios these residencies gave me a safety net to learn the ups and downs of the business of making pottery. In 2004 I opened Carter Pottery and have since been producing work for exhibitions across the United States.

My most recent adventure has been moving to Shanghai, China to be the educational director of the Pottery Workshop Shanghai. Living in a country with a storied ceramic tradition has opened my eyes to new techniques and perspectives. Whether it is my frequent trips to the Shanghai Museum, the dedicated group of students, or my interactions with Chinese coworkers, I am learning new ways of thinking and making on a daily basis. I look forward to what the future holds for me as a teacher and a maker.

Education

Master of Fine Arts
Ceramics
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Post Baccalaureate Study
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Bachelor of Fine Arts
Magna cum Laude Ceramics Painting
Appalachian State University, Boone, NC

Professional Experience

Studio Potter
Carter Pottery

Educational Director
Pottery Workshop Shanghai, Shanghai, P.R.C.

Curator
Panorama: New Ceramic Work from the University of Florida
Arts Center West, Roswell, GA

Curator
Ranch Hands: New Work from Anderson Ranch Arts Center Residents
Third St. Gallery, Carnegie, PA
Held in conjunction with NCECA 08

Resident Artist
Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO

Curator
Academia: The New Apprenticeship
Thrown Together, Louisville, KY
Held in conjunction with NCECA 07

Curator
Ceramic Residencies of the South
Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO

Curator
Odyssey Goes West:
The Influence of the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Art
The Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT

Resident Artist
Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts, Asheville, NC

Studio Potter
Black Mountain Studios, Asheville, NC

Studio Assistant
Rock Creek Pottery, Bakersville, NC

Resident Artist / Summer Studio Manager
Canton Clay Works, Canton, CT

Teaching Experience

Visiting Artist
The Jacksonville Center for the Arts, Floyd, VA

Visiting Artist
Waikato Society of Potters, Hamilton, NZ

Visiting Artist
Wellington Potters Association, Wellington, NZ

Visiting Artist
Shanghai American School, Shanghai, P.R.C.

Guest Lecturer
Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, Shanghai, P.R.C.

Faculty
The Pottery Workshop, Shanghai, P.R.C.

Visiting Artist
Gulf Coast Community College, Panama City, FL

Graduate Teaching Assistant
Workshop for Artist Research and Practice

Instructor of Record
Ceramics: 3D Concepts
School of Art and Art History
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Visiting Artist
Art Center West, Roswell, GA

Visiting Artist
Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL

Instructor of Record
Throwing: Skills and Concepts
Studio for Non Art Majors
School of Art and Art History
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Visiting Artist
JClay Ceramic Studio, Roanoke, VA

Faculty
Throwing and Surface Design
Odyssey Center for Ceramic Art, Asheville, NC

Visiting Artist
Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA

Visiting Artist
Department of Cultural Affairs, Savannah, GA

Visiting Artist
Appalachian State University, Boone, NC

Visiting Artist
The Oak Hall School, Gainesville, FL

Summer Faculty
Throwing and Surface Design
Canton Clay Works, Canton, CT

Select Invitational Exhibitions

St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, FL
Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts
Held in conjunction with NCECA 2011

Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL
No Place Like Home: Solo exhibition

Zen Tea House, Louisville, KY
Tea Time and Ten Cups

Lark and Key Gallery, Charlotte, NC
Table Manners

Baltimore Clay Works, Philadelphia, PA
Encore

Chestnut Hill Academy, Baltimore, MD
Off the Wheel: Slab-built pots for the table and home
Held in conjunction with NCECA 10

Armory Art Center, West Palm Beach, FL
Drink Up!: Ceramic Cup Invitational

Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, MD
Winterfest 2009

Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL
Flourish: Solo exibition

Signature Nine Gallery, Roanoke, VA
Transformation and Alchemy
Two Person Show with Julie Hamilton

Mason Murer, Atlanta, GA
UF at Mason Murer

Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, MD
Spoon It! Fork It! Cut It Up!
A Salon Show of Domestic Ceramic Implements

Art Center West, Roswell, GA
Panorama: New Ceramic Work from the University of Florida

Baltimore Clay Works, Baltimore, MD
Teapots IV

Clay Art Center, Porchester, NY
Transformations: 6x6

University of Florida Focus Gallery, Gainesville, FL
Crossing the Domestic Divide
Two-person show with Pat Coughlin

Charlie Cummings Gallery, Gainesville, FL
Cup: The Intimate Object VI

Clay Art Center, Porchester, NY
potPOURri: Pots that POUR

Third Street Gallery, Carnegie, PA
Ranch Hands: New work from Anderson Ranch Arts Center Residents
Held in conjunction with NCECA 08

Media Image Gallery, Gainesville, FL
Made with our Two Hands

The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Mastery in Clay 2007

Grove Arcade Arts & Heritage Gallery, Asheville, NC
The Odyssey Experience

Thrown Together, Louisville, KY
Academia: The New Apprenticeship
Held in conjunction with NCECA 07

Anderson Ranch Center for the Arts, Snowmass, CO
Winter Resident Artist Exhibit

Rainy Day Design Studio, Carbondale, CO
Ranch Hands

Carbondale Clay Center, Carbondale, CO
Ceramic Residencies of the South

The St. Petersburg Clay Co, St. Petersburg, FL

The Odyssey Center for Ceramic Art, Asheville, NC
A Resident Exchange: A Simultaneous Exhibit

The Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT
Odyssey Goes West: The Influence of the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Art

Black Mountain Center for the Arts, Black Mountain, NC
Clay Six Ways

Art Center West, Roswell, GA
Odyssey Center for Ceramic Art resident exhibition

Select Juried Exhibitions

Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, KS
2010 Orton International Cone Box Show
Jurors: Peter Callas, Malcom Davis, Inge G. Balch

Western Colorado Center for the Arts, Grand Junction, Co
Clay Biennial 2010
Juror: Pete Pinnell

University of the Arts Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
NCECA 2010 National Student Juried Exhibition
Jurors: Erin Furimsky, Matt Long

University of Florida Focus Gallery, Gainesville, FL
Currents: Contemporary Ceramics
Jurors: John Byrd, Linda Arbuckle

LSU Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA
8 Fluid Ounces 3: A National Cup Show
Juror: Michaelene Walsh

Amelia Center Gallery Gulf Coast Community College, Panama City, FL
National Juried/Invitational Cup Show
Jurors: Jeremy Randall, Sarah Panzarella

Baker University, Baldwin City, KS
2006 International Orton Cone Box Show Purchase Award
Jurors: Steven Hill, Don Reitz, Inge Balch

Charlie Cummings Gallery, Ft. Wayne, IN
Cup: The Intimate Object IV
Juror: Linda Arbuckle

Publications

“Elevating Earthenware”
Ben Carter, Pottery Making Illustrated, Sept/Oct, 2010, USA

“The (potter's) wheel of life”
Global Times: Metro Shanghai 14 July 2010 11

“Fresh out of the Oven”
The Gainesville Sun: Scene 14 January 2010 13

“Winterfest 2009”
Sherman Hall, Ceramics Monthly, Vol 58 #1, 2010, 6, 20, USA

Ceramics for Beginners: Wheel Throwing
Lark Books, Asheville, NC

“Works of Ben Carter”
China Ceramic Artist Magazine, Vol. 2 #16, 2009, 79, 80, China

500 Plates and Chargers: Innovative Expressions of Function & Style
Lark Books, Asheville, NC

The Spirit of Ceramic Design
Pebble Press Inc., Farmington Hills, MI

“The MFA Factor: University of Florida”
Sherman Hall, Ceramics Monthly, Vol. 56 #9, 2008, USA

“Emerging Artist 2006”
Sherman Hall, Ceramics Monthly, Vol. 54 #5, 2006, USA

500 Bowls: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design
Lark Books, Asheville, NC