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Emily Woo is a multidisciplinary artist exploring identity, cultural heritage, and language through ceramics, wood, and neon, working out of New York City. A BFA graduate of the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (2025), her work navigates the intersections of Asian American identity and material history.
She has exhibited nationally during the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference, received awards including the Peters Valley School of Craft Scholarship, and held roles as a Curatorial Assistant and Teaching Assistant at Alfred University. Through residencies at Watershed and through The Color Network, she continues to challenge tradition and modernity, using material and language to explore cultural dissonance and memory.
Artist Statement
Artist Statement
My work explores the relationship between my Chinese and American identities through the material processes of ceramics, wood, and light. Inspired by the exportation and western fetishization of Ming and Song dynasty ceramics, I create porcelain wheel-thrown vessels that reflect the historical culture of my Chinese heritage as viewed through my American lens. I distort these vessels into sculptural objects, incorporating nontraditional surfaces, neon, and wood to express the complexities of my Asian American experience.
Craft processes such as wheel throwing and wood carving connect me to Chinese ceramic traditions, while glass bending allows me to study modern forms. These techniques reflect the tension between heritage and innovation, with materials that embody the intersection of tradition and modernity.
Language is another essential element of my work. Incorporating Chinese text in pieces displayed to predominantly English-speaking audiences creates a language barrier that mirrors my struggle to connect with Chinese culture. This dissonance reflects the complexities of navigating a multicultural identity and invites the audience to confront their own perceptions of understanding.
As a second-generation immigrant, I feel connected and disconnected from both cultures, belonging to neither entirely. Distorted, asymmetrical forms and neon elements symbolize the fragmentation of identity, challenging traditional notions and emphasizing the evolution of an Asian American identity.
CV
CV
Education
2025, Bachelor of Fine Arts, New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
Work
2025
The Color Network Watershed Residency Jury Panel, Virtual
2025
Watershed Ceramics 2025 Jury Panel, Virtual
2024
Ceramic Wheel Throwing and Handbuilding Teaching Assistant, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
2024
Ceramic Summer Intern, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
2024
Curatorial Assistant, Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Alfred, NY
2021 - 2024
Head of Arts Social Media and Documentation, Alfred University Arts Division, Alfred, NY
2023
Jerome Ackerman Intern, Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Alfred, NY
2021 - 2023
Studio Monitor, Alfred Arts Studio At The West, Alfred, NY
2021 - 2022
Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, Access (IDEA) Lab Intern, Alfred University IDEA Lab, Alfred, NY
2019 - 2020
Wheel Throwing Instructor, That Pottery Place, Princeton, NJ
Residencies
2024, The Color Network Mentorship Residency, Edgecomb, ME
2024, Watershed Summer Residency, Edgecomb, ME
Solo Exhibitions
2025, what remains unspoken, Robert C. Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY
2024, Yellow Peril, Robert C. Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY
Curated Exhibitions
2022, Disruption, Colorized, IDEA Lab, Alfred, NY
Exhibitions
2026, The Lunar Project, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA
2025, Juried National VIII, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, MT
2025, Interwoven Worlds: Art of APIMEDA Diasporas, Circle Gallery, Annapolis, MD
2025, Small Favors 2025, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2025, NeoNouveau, Robert C. Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY
2024, Dog Days, Robert C. Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY
2024, Officium, Alma’s Gallery and Shop, Richmond, VA
2022, Come Out.. Come Out… Wherever You Are!, Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY
2021, Start Your Engine Exhibit, Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY
2021, Viewpoints 2021, Studio Montclair, Montclair, NJ
2021, 24th Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition, Virtual
2021, Phillips’ Mill Youth Art Exhibition, Virtual
2020, 23rd Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition, Virtual
2020, Phillips’ Mill Youth Art Exhibition, Phillips’ Mill Community Association, New Hope, PA
2019, 22nd Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition, Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN
2019, Phillips’ Mill Youth Art Exhibition, Phillips’ Mill Community Association, New Hope, PA
Awards and Grants
2025
Alfred Research Grant for Undergraduate Students
SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence
2024
Watershed Ceramics Partial Scholarship Award
Research in Women’s Leadership Fund
Art in Business Award
Dean's List
2023
Peters Valley School of Craft Scholarship
Dean's List
2022
Alpha Kappa Omicron Achievement Award
The College of Ceramics Endowed Performance Fund
Foundations Award
Fred H. Gertz Award
Dean's List
2021
Alfred/William D. Parry Memorial Scholarship
Watershed Ceramics Award
ICAN Top Finalist Student Award
Ernst Family Scholarship
Ceramics: Art and Perception Technical Subscription Award
Scholastic Gold Key and Silver Key
2020
Phillips Mill Youth Exhibition Best in Show
Scholastic Gold Key and Honorable Mention
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