Avi Farber

Avi Farber’s work emerges with fire—both in the flame as it flows over clay in the wood kiln and in the spirit of a wildfire as its memory is recorded on his land-based art panels. Years of watching fires move through mountains while working as a wildland firefighter have shaped his approach to ceramics, where landscapes, clay, and fire become active collaborators. This is a ceramic practice that takes place in and with the landscape.

Farber received his Master of Interdisciplinary Design (MDes) from Emily Carr University of Art and Design and a BA in Philosophy from Bates College. His love for mud began in his mom’s studio, where, as a child, he would press clay against his face, using his own head as a slump mold to make colorful masks. He now holds clay as a storyteller—a vessel that carries collective meanings, records reflections, and offers a space to reimagine our own beliefs. His work is represented by Zane Bennett Contemporary Art and G2 Gallery and has been supported by residencies at the University of California Santa Barbara, the Clay Studio of Missoula, and the Material Matters Lab.