Born in 1946 in Reno, Nevada, Robert Brady is a sculptor and professor emeritus at California State University, Sacramento. Though he came to art through an affinity for clay, Brady long ago began incorporating wood into his practice, and now creates works in clay, wood, bronze, and on paper. He was introduced to ceramics by a high school teacher, who encouraged him to continue pursuing art. Brady earned a BFA from the California College of the Arts in Oakland (1969) and a MFA from University of California, Davis (1975) – two hubs of experimentation in ceramics at that time. After completing his studies, Brady joined the faculty at CSU, Sacramento, where he taught for 33 years before retiring. Though Brady’s early work dealt directly with functional clay vessels, he eventually began creating abstract and figurative pieces in varying materials. These works call to mind ritual objects or totems from around the world, yet remain specific to the artist’s own psyche. His work has been exhibited widely, and can be found in a number of collections including the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Robert Brady has received multiple fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts (1981, 1988, and 2008), and was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 2007.