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Join us for a conversation with artist Courtney Mattison, whose large-scale ceramic installations merge art and science. Her works are inspired by the fragile beauty of coral reefs and the human-caused threats they face. She raises awareness for the protection of our blue planet, urging policy makers and the public to conserve our changing seas.
Confluence (Our Changing Seas V) by Courtney Mattison. Courtesy of Art in Embassies, U.S. Department of State Permanent Collection for U.S. Embassy Jakarta. Photo by Amanda Brooks.
Courtney Mattison creates intricately detailed and large-scale ceramic sculptural works inspired by the fragile beauty of coral reefs and the human-caused threats they face. She raises awareness for the protection of our blue planet, urging policy makers and the public to conserve our changing seas. Mattison has been commissioned to create work for permanent collections including those of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies, Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Endurance ship, and private patrons. Her work has been exhibited at prominent venues including the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, American Museum of Ceramic Art, U.S. Department of Commerce headquarters, and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In 2020, the United Nations Postal Administration included Mattison’s work on a postage stamp to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Born in 1985 and raised in San Francisco, Mattison received an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in marine ecology and ceramic sculpture from Skidmore College in 2008 and a Master of Arts degree in environmental studies from Brown University with thesis credits at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2011.