Red Lodge Clay Center, Short-Term Resident 2021
Dow Redcorn is a self-taught contemporary ceramic artist and a citizen of the Osage Nation. As a member of a Plains tribe with a limited ceramic tradition, he uses contemporary techniques to reinterpret Osage imagery, color palettes, beadwork, and ribbonwork through functional pottery and sculpture. His work includes mugs, plates, vases, and sculptural forms that celebrate Indigenous identity while embracing modern ceramic practices.
Each thrown form is extensively carved and illustrated, creating richly layered surfaces that honor Osage cultural aesthetics. Other works transport viewers to places found in nature, evoking the peace, solitude, and spiritual connection that natural landscapes inspire.
Dow’s process combines wheel throwing with carving, airbrushed underglazes, brushwork, silk-screening, decals, and a wax-resist water-rinsing technique that reveals subtle blends of color and intricate patterns. Working primarily in white and red stoneware, he creates pieces that balance realism with atmospheric fantasy. His work is finished with transparent gloss or matte glazes and fired in oxidation to cone 5 (2167 F).
As an Osage artist of the twenty-first century, Dow Redcorn creates ceramics that honor the past while speaking to the present, demonstrating that Indigenous traditions continue to evolve through contemporary artistic expression.