Local ceramic artist - and one of the featured artists at the Community Market - Sara Simonson has a solo exhibition, “Rough Around the Edges,” on view through the Iowa Ceramics Center and Glass Studio at the Chadima Gallery inside the Cherry Building in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Simonson’s work is described as “playful and whimsical, driven by a deep curiosity about form rather than function.” Working in both earthenware and stoneware, she creates sculptural pieces that invite viewers to explore texture, pattern and movement. In addition to ceramics, Simonson also creates jewelry and sculptural forms in metal, primarily sterling silver.
After a 26-year career teaching literacy at Western Illinois University, where she served as both professor and department chair, Simonson retired, earning the rank of a professor emerita, in 2016. It was in retirement that she discovered a joyful passion for working with clay, a medium that has since become central to her artistic voice.
Her work has been widely recognized since she began exhibiting in 2018, appearing in numerous national and international juried exhibitions. She has received honors including Best of Show at the Honeywell Annual Fine Art National Juried Exhibition and recognition at the Arts North International Juried Exhibition. Her ceramic tessellation series has also been featured at the Quad Cities International Airport.
In “Rough Around the Edges,” Simonson explores themes of vulnerability, identity, and emotional resilience. Her process is deeply personal—using clay as both a physical and therapeutic medium to uncover and express experiences often hidden beneath the surface. Through pushing, pulling, layering, and marking the clay, she creates works that reveal the tension between strength and fragility.
“Being tough, hard, and unfeeling has been the protective armor that I convey to those closest to me,” Simonson explained. “Using clay, I can physically manipulate my output, revealing my intimate emotions in a piece of work.”
Through repetition, texture, and abstract form, her work offers viewers a glimpse into her subconscious, inviting reflection on the complexities of self and the marks life leaves behind.
For more information or to view additional work, visit her Instagram: @ sara_d_ceramics, or stop in the Community Market, Monday-Saturday, where her pieces are available for purchase.
