Sam Chung

Sam Chung is a Korean American ceramic artist and Professor of Ceramics at Arizona State University, where he has taught since 2007. His work reframes historical ceramic forms from a cross-cultural perspective. He received his MFA from Arizona State University and BA from St. Olaf College. Chung was awarded a U.S. Fulbright Scholar grant in South Korea for the 2021–22 academic year and has exhibited throughout the United States and internationally. His work is held in the collections of the Everson Museum, Crocker Art Museum, Icheon World Ceramic Center, Guldagergaard, and other public collections. His residencies include KwangjuYo, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, the Archie Bray Foundation, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center, the International Ceramics Studio in Hungary, and The Pottery Workshop in China.

“Clouds are an auspicious symbol representing immortality and longevity. I adopted them as a metaphor for my own floating sense of identity between Korean and American cultures. Their ever-changing, formless nature reflects the fluidity of my cross-cultural identity. Metaphorically, they break out of the past while leaving a remnant of tradition intact. The cloud imagery is contemporized to create a new identity for the pots, suggesting renewal and transformation.”

-Sam Chung