Cora Olson is a ceramic artist whose practice investigates familial identity, maternal labor, and the evolving roles of women across generations. She received her B.A. in Studio Art from the University of Mary Washington, where she concentrated in ceramics and developed a strong foundation in both functional and sculptural work.
After graduating, she was part of a studio/gallery collective in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and later returned to Northern Virginia to continue her studio practice while teaching art at the elementary and adult education levels. Olson is currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts at George Washington University, where her work focuses on large-scale ceramic sculptures and installations that explore themes of motherhood, generational memory, and the emotional landscapes of care and resilience.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My ceramic practice investigates matriarchal lineage; I make offerings to the past and future generations of women in my family. My great-grandmother, and those who came before her, worked every day to perform acts of care, service, and protection. With clay I aim to reinforce and honor these threads of lineage.
My work preserves memories and labor of motherhood through the transformation of clay to ceramics. While in process with my sculptures, I care for my work through mending cracks and maintaining its slow drying process. I then start the ritual of transformation from clay to ceramics. For me, this process of heating clay to extreme temperatures to create its sturdy form is akin to my current experience of carrying and forming life in my womb.
I often feel the work of motherhood easily fades into the distance with each generation passed. I am interested in elevating the voices of mothers. My work seeks to honor and become an offering to not only generations of mothers within my own family, but to mothers everywhere.
