Past Resident

Bill Wilkey, 2014–2015 Joan Lincoln Fellow, 2015–2016 Lillstreet Art Center Fellow
long-term resident 2014–2016

As a child, Bill Wilkey dreamed of being a marine biologist or an archeologist. But that all changed in high school when he had the chance to watch his ceramics teacher demonstrate throwing a large clay cylinder on the potter’s wheel. From that moment on, Bill has pursued a new dream of making a life as a potter and joined the Bray family as the 2014 Lincoln Fellow. Bill’s functional pottery is made with an architectural aesthetic and he uses atmospheric firing processes to finish the surfaces.

Bill grew up in Johnson City, Tennessee. He received his MFA from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2014 and his BFA from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. Bill exhibits his work nationally and was featured as a 2014 Emerging Artist by Ceramics Monthly.

“Crafting an object that exists beyond my own intentions fulfills a need to contribute to someone’s daily ritual or personal escape. This work becomes a safeguard in which one can feel at ease while experiencing it and their surroundings.”—Wilkey

To see more work by Bill visit his website at www.wilkeyarts.com.

Bread Basket, 2014
porcelaneous stoneware
8.5" x 16" x 6”

Two Quart Lidded Juice Pitcher, 2013
porcelaneous stoneware
13" x 8" x 5"