My name is Christopher Wilder. I have been an artist and educator for over 20 years. My primary area of specialization is ceramic sculpture, but I also work as a potter. More recently, I have engaged in the process of wood-firing upon the construction of my own private kiln in 2016. Additionally, I work in stone, wood, and mixed media.

     I was born in Corbin, Kentucky where I spent my childhood among the coal industry and the southern Appalachian region. My art references the industry and its impact on the environment and people.

      I received a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from Kentucky State University (KSU) in 2000, and a Master of Arts in Ceramics from the Hite Institute at the University of Louisville in 2004. I have exhibited locally and nationally, have been the recipient of numerous awards, and have attended various workshops throughout the region.

      My current body explores man’s tenuous relationship to the environment. I continue to draw upon the textures, forms and residue of the Appalachian region. My work is deliberately rough and in some ways crude. I am seeking to use the ceramic material in a deliberate, honest fashion, referencing the landscape and it’s people-and questioning the attitudes that have disabled change within the region. The process of wood firing imparts color and ash onto the work. It is also an intuitive process involving chance and serendipity.