ANOMALY
July 4 @ 10:00 am – August 29 @ 5:00 pm
The Lormina Salter Fellow Exhibition at Baltimore Clayworks celebrates the work of the current Lormina Salter Fellow, Brady Fanning, honoring a year of dedicated studio practice, research, and artistic growth.
About the Show
This exhibition extends the body of work I developed just before receiving the Lormina Salter Fellowship. It presents sculptures that vary in scale and challenge traditional ideas of what ceramics are known to be. These forms feel ethereal and animated, as if they possess an internal life, while still functioning as objects of power and presence. Their sharp extensions, layered ornamentation, and complex silhouettes evoke transformation.
Each sculpture is constructed from multiple working components designed to function as modular, independent parts. Like pieces of a puzzle, these elements come together to form a unified object, allowing the works to feel simultaneously fragmented and whole. This modular approach reflects my interest in systems, growth, and assembly.
Alongside the larger works, I am also experimenting with smaller-scale objects that operate as companions—almost like siblings or offspring of the larger forms. These pieces echo similar shapes, surfaces, and gestures, suggesting lineage, evolution, and the possibility of an expanding family of forms that play with the idea of what platform acts as a means of display or presentation. Together, the works create a network of related objects that feel both autonomous and interconnected.
About the Artist
Brady Fanning is a ceramic artist from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is the 2025 Lormina Salter Fellow at Baltimore Clayworks, where he is currently in residence. Brady graduated with his MFA from the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at Indiana University Bloomington and earned his BFA in ceramics from Purdue University Fort Wayne in 2021. With teaching experience in ceramics and 3D design, Brady creates intricate sculptures that explore themes of power, protection, and desire. Brady has just been selected to be one of the 2026 emerging artists for Ceramics Monthly
Artist Statement
This work explores the tension between power, protection, and desire through hybrid ceramic sculptures that blend organic and synthetic forms. Influenced by ancient Greek vessels, architecture, and weaponry, I create aggressive yet seductive forms with sharply curved extensions. Using wheel-thrown and hand-built techniques, I construct complex structures and replicate elements with molds. Using layered underglazes and glossy/metallic finishes—evokes sci-fi aesthetics while fetishizing parts of the sculpture, similar to how fashion and armor adorns the body. These sculptures engage themes of fetishism, futurism, and queer aesthetics— envisioning a world where traditional boundaries—whether of gender, species, or material—are dissolved.
Also on Exhibition
On My Best Behavior
The EMBARC Fellow Exhibition at Baltimore Clayworks highlights the innovative work of the organization’s current EMBARC Fellow, Katherine Pon-Cooper, celebrating a year of artistic exploration, research, and creative growth.
Community Arts Summer Showcase
The Community Arts Summer Showcase celebrates the creativity, voices, and shared experiences of our community.
