The following object story was presented as part of the American Craft Council's national "Present Tense" conference that took place in Philadelphia in October 2019. Through eight main stage moments and four object stories featuring 42 speakers, the "Present Tense" main stage explored craft’s relevance as a powerful catalyst for navigating and making meaning in an increasingly complex present.

Jennifer Ling Datchuk is an artist born in Warren, Ohio, and raised in Brooklyn, New York.Trained in ceramics, she works with porcelain and other materials often associated with traditional women’s work, such as textiles and hair, to discuss fragility, beauty, femininity, intersectionality, identity, and personal history.

ACC's 2017 Emerging Voices artist, Datchuk holds an MFA in artisanry from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a BFA in crafts from Kent State University. She has received grants from the Artist Foundation of San Antonio, Artpace, and the Linda Lighton International Artist Exchange Program, allowing her to research the global migrations of porcelain and blue and white pattern decoration. The Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum awarded her a residency to conduct her studio practice at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin, Germany, and she has participated in residencies at the Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, China, Vermont Studio Center, European Ceramic Work Center in the Netherlands, and Artpace. She lives and maintains a studio practice in San Antonio, Texas, and serves as assistant professor of ceramics at Texas State University.

jenniferlingdatchuk.com | @jenniferlingdatchuk

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