ARTIST STATEMENT

A young woman with short dark hair, wearing a striped shirt and jewelry, sitting against a dark background.

Sophie Parker’s work draws from traditions of functional ceramics, domestic labor, and social practice art, approaching objects as things that are activated through use rather than existing solely as static forms. She is interested in hosting as both a material and conceptual framework, informed by feminist histories of care work and communal labor that are still often undervalued or rendered invisible. This approach engages ongoing conversations around community building in early adulthood, particularly within a capitalist American context that commodifies time, labor, and social relationships.

Working with ceramics, a medium historically tied to food, ritual, and daily life, she explores how form and function can carry emotional intention. Tableware and functional objects in her practice often operate as portraits of communities rather than individuals, implementing relational meaning into objects meant to be touched, used, and shared. Through this work, she considers how everyday acts of use and gathering can become sites of care, connection, and resistance.

CV

Education

University of Oregon / BFA with a concentration in ceramics

September 2022 - June 2026,  Eugene, OR

Apprenticeships

Kintsugi Apprenticeship

2025 -  Kyoto,  Japan

Experience

University of Oregon Ceramics Department / Kiln Technician

January 2024 - Present, Eugene, OR

University of Oregon Ceramics Department / Studio Monitor

October 2025 - Present, Eugene, OR

Skills

Ceramics

Wheel throwing, glaze chemistry and formulation, mold making and slip casting, jigger and jollying, press molding, slab and coil building, kiln loading and unloading, kiln programming, cone pack construction, kintsugi (traditional Japanese technique of repairing broken ceramic with lacquer).

Language

English: Proficient

Japanese: Conversational

Exhibitions

Solo

BFA Thesis Exhibition, LaVerne Krause Gallery, Eugene, OR, May, 2026 / USA

Woman In Creative Industries Winter Exhibition, Hayden Gallery, Eugene, OR, March, 2026 / USA

Made From Earth, Foyer Gallery, Eugene, OR, December, 2025 / USA

Spring Installation, Washburne Gallery, Eugene, OR, June, 2025 / USA

Group

Spring Storm Senior Installation, LaVerne Krause Gallery, Eugene, OR, June, 2026 / USA

Inter/Exter, LaVerne Krause Gallery, Eugene, OR, February 2026 / USA

BFA Fall Installation, Washburne Gallery, Eugene, OR, 2025 / USA