Valerie Zimany

Valerie Zimany is department chair and professor of art at Clemson University. Her graduate study was immersed in contemporary Japanese craft and design, followed by an extended artist residency focused on traditional overglaze techniques. Her studio practice weaves influence from historic patterns and imagery of European porcelain and 19th-century Japanese export ware into detailed vessels, wall sculptures, large-scale drawings, and installations. Through intricate layers of sculpted form and surface, both handmade and digitally designed, Valerie explores the cultural convergence of her experience while challenging perceptions of beauty, value, and our relationship with the natural world. Her works are held in public institutions such as the American Museum of Ceramic Art, the National Museum of Slovenia, the Cluj Contemporary Ceramic Collection Romania, and the Taipei Yingge Ceramic Museum. She was the 2020 South Carolina State Fellow in Craft and has been recognized with awards at international exhibitions and competitive artist residencies. Her energetic florals merge real flora with the fantastic and consider our evolving natural landscape in the context of decorative arts history and her current residence in the lush foothills of upstate South Carolina.