J R (Jimmy) Sherburne is currently the Potter-in-Residence for the Artists Hand Gallery in Indiana, Pennsylvania. He has been potting off and on for forty-two years; in studios in California, Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, and Pennsylvania. Jimmy holds a B.A. from Berea College, a graduate of the renowned Student Apprentice Program and a M.F.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has studied under David Leach, Ken Ferguson, and Wally Hyleck. His work has garnered many awards in fine craft shows across the Midwest.
Jimmy’s current focus is a series of large sculptural pots entitled “Heroes of Labor”, which takes a long view towards income inequality and economic justice. By returning to the forgotten past of the Progressive era, in the age of Trump, these vessels speak to the timelessness of this struggle. Utilizing fine English Porcelain, cobalt, iron, and manganese engobes (white or colored slip applied to pottery usually for decoration or to improve the surface texture), as well as laser decals in a three-firing process he has combined functional form with sculpture, portraiture, and text to create small memorials for these titans.
