Jill Birschbach

My sculpture is a response to my working-class upbringing. We were raised to work hard and not question. My parents often made things they needed, sewed clothes, knit, grew vegetables and repaired their possessions. My father spoke with reverence about other people who were mechanically inclined. I wanted to be one of those people. On family trips we would take factory tours, visit dams and power plants. As a college student I worked in a factory in the summers. My small hometown had industry and food processing plants, older buildings and remnants from the late 1800s. My pieces exist in that context. They are mechanical looking like an indeterminate machine part. They have holes stamped in regular intervals like a sheet of pegboard. I glaze them with crusty, bumpy and peeling surfaces to emphasize the grittiness. There are also runny and oozing glazes reminiscent of bodily fluids. They look old and crusty yet beautiful and appealing.
< Shop More Artists < Main Shop


The Filters you have chosen do not return any results. Please modify your filter selection.

Did you Know?

50% of your purchase directly supports the artist, and 50% of your purchase supports the operations of The Clay Studio, a nonprofit that serves 35,000 people, including 2,000 underserved school children, each year.

Learn More about supporting us

Can We Help?

Feel free to contact us Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Naimah Stith, Retail Manager and Gallery Coordinator
naimah@theclaystudio.org | 215-925-3453 x115


Customer service