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Full Name: Julia Elsas

Thumbnail of Featured Art: Chime Choir, 2020 Porcelain, Linen, Wood

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Studio Street Address:: 119 8th Street / 119 8th Street

Studio Street Address Detail: Floor 2, Studio #203

Zip Code: 11231

Artist Statement: I am a Brooklyn-based artist and educator. My art practice encompasses ceramics, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, installation and performance. I have spent the last twelve years exploring the sound of ceramic sculptures by creating playable hand-built ceramic instruments. I consider my sculptures to be fully realized only when they are being played. In my initial research into creating sonic sculptures, I looked to the shape and sonority of traditional Nigerian udu drums and to the ancient indigenous ceramic instruments from Mexico and South America. As an extension of activating my sculptures with sound, I started Sonic Mud, a band that showcases the visual and musical expressions of my ceramic instruments. Sonic Mud musicians play a range of ceramic flutes, drums, natural trumpets, shakers, clayrimbas, rain machines and water whistles from this collection of work. The performances are unique and one-of-a-kind. The music is improvisational and brings to life the richly resonant and earthy sounds of clay. Our music offers an immersive experience using the connective language of sound. Past Sonic Mud performances have taken place at The Carnegie Museum of Art, Asya Geisberg Gallery, The Bo Bartlett Center, Pasaquan, The Jewish Museum of Maryland, Cooler Gallery, The Opening Gallery, Printed Matter, The Drawing Center, The New School, NARS Foundation, Ortega y Gasset, Relationships, The Shirley Project Space, BKLYN CLAY, Artshack and Pratt. Sonic Mud's debut album, Above Ground, was recorded and released in 2023 and can be found on Bandcamp (https://sonicmud.bandcamp.com/album/above-ground) and all of your favorite streaming platforms. My line of functional ceramic sculptures for the home was established in 2016. Each ceramic piece is one-of-a-kind and hand-built in my Brooklyn studio. Current and past stockists include: Whitney Museum Shop, The Jewish Museum Shop, Museum of Arts and Design, Afternoon Light, 20x200, Lolo, The Sidewalk Flowers, Nikki Chasin, A.Mano Brooklyn, Salon, Poster House, Modern Tribe, Lisa Says Gah, The Real Real, Wine and Eggs and West Elm. My work has been featured and reviewed in Hyperallergic, Salvation South, Wirecutter, Foxy Digitalis, Glamour, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, Ceramics Monthly, Domino, Into the Gloss, New York Magazine and more. I teach ceramic handbuilding workshops at Greenwich House Pottery. I teach printmaking at the Lower East Side Printshop, and I offer individual and small group private workshops in my Gowanus studio. Juliaelsas.com Juliaelsas.com/claydiesnight Sonicmud.com

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