Hans Miles
Studio Manager | Lead Instructor
Hans was raised in Prescott, Arizona, by a family of artists, makers, and tinkerers.
He focused on atmospherically fired pottery and cast objects at Arizona State University. After graduating, he spent five years as the coordinator of the Art and Industry residency program at Mission Clay, a ceramic sewer pipe factory. He expanded his practice into monumental-scale ceramic sculpture earning a MFA at University of Notre Dame. Hans’ was also the assistant coordinator at The Don Reitz Collection and the Ceramic Program Director at Cosanti.
Recent Master of Art graduate from Notre Dame and new studio manager at Ilwaco Artworks, Hans Miles will share details and stories of his 15 years in the ceramic field- from explorations in salt fired pottery, time leading an art residency program at a ceramic sewer pipe factory and his move into monumental sculpture. Hans has had numerous solo and group exhibitions, and was the recent recipient of the annual purchase award at the Midwest Museum of American Art.
Hans encourages students to perceive ceramics as not only an art form, conceptual vehicle and craft, but also to explore its utility in communicating and connecting with histories, cultures, and technology. As an experienced potter, sculptor and technician, Hans brings a wealth of practical knowledge and expertise to the classroom that facilitates a wide range of students’ self-engaged research.
"My teaching philosophy is grounded in the real-world application of skills, critical thinking and exploration. I am always careful to indicate to the students that there are as many ways to create with clay as there are people and find that an open-ended technical approach yields the best results. Within my teaching practice, I strive to create an environment that fosters community and authenticity for students while also providing challenges and obstacles that provide opportunities for students to inquire and problem solve in the face of adversity."
PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT
2024 - Featured in “Hands in Clay 6th Edition”, John Toki, McGraw-Hill (Upcoming)
2023 - Purchase Award from Midwest Museum of American Art
2023 - Artist Talk and Presenter at Midwest Museum of American Art
2022 - Contributor to “Terracotta Corridor” publication, Abby Wasserman, RAD-N
2021- Present - Contributor and Consultant on “Enviro-tile Project with Dr. Dom Chaloner (Notre Dame) and Seb Chaloner (Napier University, Scotland)
2020 - Researcher and Author of ASTM C700-18 301 revised protocol
2019 – Curator and Organizer of MCAI Art in Public show, Orinda, California
2019 - Co-Curator (with Peter Held), “Lost + Found – Reitz and Gustin”, Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Wayzata, MN
2018 - 2021 Founder and Curator of MCAI Sculpture Park, Buckeye, Arizona
2015 - 2017 - Studio Assistant to Patricia Sannit
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 - Dryer 14, Riley Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
2023 - West by Midwest, Highland Gallery, South Bend, IN
2017 - Hans Miles, Zen Mountain Gallery, Jerome, AZ
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 - Soon to be Strangers, EmEn Co., South Bend, IN (Upcoming)
2023 - Sixteen, Penthouse Gallery, Notre Dame, IN
2023 - Open Gate Pottery Invitational, Open Gate Pottery, Cassopolis, MI
2023 - 45th Elkhart Juried Regional, Midwest Museum of American Art, Elkhart, IN
2023 - Solarium II, Bond Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
2023 - Semi-Colon, Forward Slash, Riley Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 2022 - Solarium, Bond Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
2021 - New Faces, Riley Hall, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
2019 - MCAI Arts in Public, ArtSpace Orinda, Contra Costa Library, Orinda, CA
2018 - Faculty Mentor / Alumni Exhibition, Step Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2018 - Moving Out of the Basement, ASU Gallery 100, Tempe, AZ
2017 - Sculpting Science II, Step Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2015 - Sculpting Science, ASU Natural History Collections, Tempe, AZ
"My artistic practice revolves around creating labor-intensive ceramic sculptures that engage with the enigmatic nature of self and material agency. Through a system-oriented, intrasubjective approach, I explore the interplay between the perceptive, voyeuristic, and haptic qualities inherent in objects. My current body of work presents viewers with a tableau of human-scaled objects, exuding corporeal physicality and an illusion of self-possession, frozen in static engagement yet disrupted by our presence. These 'nearly known objects' challenge traditional definitions with their
non-objective forms, inviting tactile connection despite their inherent otherness. This exploration delves into the paradox of our relationship with objects, unlocking the quiet masses they hold, the interplay they initiate with our bodies, and the veiled expressions they share and withhold."
