Curatorial Statement
Featured work posted online: Monday, November 9, 2026 at 10 am MT
For our Holiday Featured Artist spot, Kristen will created a series of one of a kind, hand-made ornaments that delve into the emotional intricacies of home, family, and intimate relationships. Perfect for your tree, or to decorate your home all year round.
Kristen Cliffel is a ceramic sculptor living and working in Cleveland, Ohio. Her studio practice is centered around themes of domesticity and relationships that connect people over time. She graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1990 with a BFA in Ceramics.
Kristen’s work is included in many public and private collections across the country. She has completed Residencies at The Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada and the Kohler Company in Wisconsin. Kristen has given workshops widely including the Penland School of Crafts, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, the Cleveland Institute of Art and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Kristen was awarded a Creative Workforce Fellowship from the Cuyahoga Partnership for Arts and Culture, has received several Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships and has been a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant Nominee. In 2016, Cliffel was awarded the prestigious Cleveland Arts Prize for mid-career artist in visual arts.