Professor/Chair

Biography

Samuel Johnson is an American potter known for his unique, functional ceramics, often made through a traditional wood-firing process. His pieces reflect a fascination with the interplay between order and organic irregularity, resulting in surfaces marked by natural variations and dark, shadowy textures. Johnson studied painting and ceramics at the University of Minnesota before apprenticing with noted potter Richard Bresnahan. He further honed his skills in Denmark and Japan, where he explored Scandinavian and Japanese ceramic styles and later earned graduate degrees from the University of Iowa. Johnson currently teaches at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University in Minnesota and has served on the board of Artaxis.org, a non-profit that supports ceramic artists worldwide. Johnson’s work has been shown in over 150 group and solo exhibitions and is included in the permanent collections of the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, The North Dakota Museum of Art, the Rourke Art Museum and featured on the Cover of Ceramics Monthly Magazine.

Johnson’s work often explores human themes through the physical characteristics of his pottery, and his process emphasizes the unpredictable, organic changes introduced by the intense heat of the wood kiln. His pieces often appear both symmetrical and slightly distressed, representing a blend of control and natural variation that he sees as a metaphor for human life.

Education

• MFA, University of Iowa
• MA, University of Iowa
• BA, University of Minnesota at Morris
• Guest of the Danish Design School in Copenhagen (2000)
• Apprentice to Richard Bresnahan (1996-1999)

Teaches

Introduction and Intermediate Ceramics, Senior Studio Art Thesis (Capstone Course for Majors), Design: 3D and Drawing (Foundational Art Course)

Personal Work