معرفی
Summer Joy Hills-Bonczyk (she/her) serves as Assistant Professor of Art (Non-Tenure Track) in the Art & Art History Department at Macalester College, where she teaches Ceramic Art courses and builds community within the ceramics studio through experimental pedagogy and personalized student relationships.
Her academic background includes:
- B.A. in Studio Art, Macalester College (2005)
- M.F.A. in Ceramic Art, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (2011)
Hills-Bonczyk's creative practice spans pottery, performance, writing, video, installation, and sculpture, centered on humanity's longing for patterns and rituals in a disembodied world. She draws profound inspiration from unfired clay's physical properties—shapeless, humble, and accessible—as metaphors for human vulnerability. Her work has been exhibited internationally including Antigua, Guatemala (2020), Northern Clay Center, MSP International Airport, and Mira Gallery, with residencies at Hambidge Center, Monson Arts, Anderson Ranch, and Grand Marais Arts Colony.
Her significant recognition includes:
- 2025 Arts Experiences grant (Minnesota State Arts Board)
- Jerome Foundation Artist Travel and Study Grant
- Minnesota State Arts Board Individual Artist Initiative Grant
As an innovator, she founded the Performance Art Intensive (PAI)—an intergenerational retreat culminating in wet-clay performance art—and co-curated "Strange Place" for Macalester's Law Warschaw Gallery during the 2019 NCECA Conference. Beyond studio art, she teaches Yoga, meditation, and creative movement workshops globally while maintaining an active performance practice in Minneapolis.
