Stefanie Haining

Artist Statement

Souvenirs and keepsakes have long served as tangible links to the intangible. They help us construct personal narratives and define identity. Their physical presence gives us a sense of stability and control in a world shaped by unpredictability and larger systems. I create ceramic sculptures that reinterpret these familiar objects. My work reflects on the emotions, experiences, and values they represent—often pointing to deeper, sometimes hidden, stories about individuals and culture. Using a highly illustrative style, my pieces often appear cheerful, poppy, and playful at first glance. But beneath the surface, they carry layered meanings that invite closer examination. I want viewers to first recognize the object, then slowly uncover the story it tells— prompting reflection on the objects they keep and why they matter. I work predominantly in clay, handbuilding each piece. I’m drawn to the immediacy and accessibility of the material, and to the way it transforms into something permanent. That contrast—between the material’s durability and the ephemerality of memory—sits at the heart of my practice.

Bio
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​Stefanie Haining is a Brooklyn-based ceramic sculptor with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in Furniture Design and Illustration. Her work reimagines souvenirs and keepsakes as vessels for memory, identity, and cultural reflection.