Artist biography

About

Joey Downey is a ceramic artist and MFA candidate in Ceramics at Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro, where he studies under Linda Cordell and Charles Johnson. Originally from Girard, Pennsylvania, he received his BA in Studio Art and Music from Baldwin Wallace University, where he studied under Ben Lambert.

Downey’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, notably at the Erie Art Museum in Erie, Pennsylvania; the Stifel Fine Arts Center in Wheeling, West Virginia; and the Bradford District Museum and Galleries in the United Kingdom. His work has received multiple recognitions, including Best in Show at the National Intercollegiate Ceramics Exhibition.

Downey’s practice has been further informed through mentorship, residencies, assistantships, and workshop-based learning. After completing a yearlong internship with ceramic sculptor Kristen Cliffel at the Screw Factory Artists in Lakewood, Ohio. Downey completed a residency at Touchstone Center for Crafts and was awarded a Studio Assistant Fellowship at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, where he assisted Keith Simpson. In addition, he was the recipient of the Temple Scholarship at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and served as a studio assistant for Sara Torgison’s workshop at Penland School of Craft. Finally, he had the opportunity to study internationally at York St John University in the United Kingdom, where he expanded his perspective on material language and contemporary craft.