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Portrait of Mitch Iburg.
Portrait of Mitch Iburg. · ORCA Living · Headshot source page for Mitch Iburg · Headshot image for Mitch Iburg
Classification
ceramics

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Mitch Iburg

Mitch Iburg was born in Hudson, Wisconsin, and received a BA in Fine Art from Coe College in 2011. He has worked in studios in Virginia, New York, California, Denmark and Estonia, and works with local clay and mineral resources foraged in Minnesota. In 2018 he co-established Studio Alluvium with Zoë Powell in Saint Paul, Minnesota. [3, 7]

Profile

Background

Mitch Iburg was born in Hudson, Wisconsin, and earned a BA in Fine Art from Coe College in 2011. After college he worked or held residencies in Virginia, New York, California, Denmark, Estonia and other locations, repeatedly adapting the work to the clay, stone and mineral resources available in each place. "Local material" became a method of learning where he was.

By the time he returned to the Upper Midwest, geological research had become the organizing principle of the studio. In 2018 he co-established Studio Alluvium in Saint Paul with ceramic artist Zoë Powell; the space opened publicly in 2019 and functions as workshop, showroom, material-processing site and teaching base. The studio's mission is to locate, process and test regional clays and minerals and to share that knowledge.

His range runs from cups and tea vessels to sculpture and installation. The forms are different ways to expose geological histories through matter collected from landscapes shaped by glaciation, erosion and deposition.

Practice

Ceramic work made from local clay and mineral resources foraged in Minnesota, spanning vessels, tea ware, tableware, sculpture and installation. [7, 28]

Work over time

  1. Education Received a BA in Fine Art from Coe College. · Coe College · Fine Art [3, 7]
  2. Residency Artist in residence, The Cub Creek Foundation. · institution: The Cub Creek Foundation · Appomattox, Virginia, United States [27]
  3. Residency Artist in residence at The Rochester Folk Art Guild, where he also designed and led construction of a 50 cu. ft catenary arch wood kiln. · institution: The Rochester Folk Art Guild · The Rochester Folk Art Guild, New York, United States [27]
  4. Residency Artist in residence, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center. · institution: Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center · Skaelskor, Denmark [27]
  5. Residency Artist in residence, Mendocino Art Center. · institution: Mendocino Art Center · Mendocino, California, United States [27]
  6. Kiln Construction Designed and led construction of a 40 cubic foot train kiln at the Mendocino Art Center. · institution: Mendocino Art Center · Mendocino, California, United States [27]
  7. Residency Artist in residence, Cobb Mountain Art & Ecology Project. · institution: Cobb Mountain Art & Ecology Project · Loch Lomond, California, United States [27]
  8. Studio Open Established personal studio and showroom in Saint Paul, listed with Studio Alluvium. · Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States [27]
  9. Studio Open Co-established Studio Alluvium with Zoë Powell in Saint Paul, Minnesota. · Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States [7]
  10. Residency Artist in residence, Kohila International Ceramics Symposium. · institution: Kohila International Ceramics Symposium · Kohila, Estonia [27]

Bibliography

References

  1. Press — Studio Alluvium
  2. Layers of Earth — Sage Culture / Gallery Weekend Los Angeles
  3. Mitch Iburg — Cavin-Morris Gallery
  4. About — Studio Alluvium Retrieved 2026-09-28
  5. Harnessing Earth and Fire to Create Natural Vessels (Stephen Treffinger, The New York Times, 3 May 2023) Retrieved 2026-09-28
  6. A Deeper Connection: Ceramics by Mitch Iburg — Entoten (Ai Kanazawa, 25 July 2018) Retrieved 2026-09-28
  7. Mitch Iburg — Yushu Tea Gallery, London Retrieved 2026-09-28
  8. Mitch Iburg (@mitchiburgceramics) on Instagram Retrieved 2026-09-28
  9. Mitch Iburg Ceramics — Linktree Retrieved 2026-09-28
  10. Headshot source page for Mitch Iburg Retrieved 2026-10-01
  11. Headshot image for Mitch Iburg Retrieved 2026-10-01
  12. About — Mitch Iburg
  13. Form of Memory
  14. Diagenesis
  15. The Conservation of Matter
  16. Gallery Representation
  17. Mitch Iburg — Northern Clay Center
  18. Three Jerome Artists — Northern Clay Center
  19. Program Alumni — Northern Clay Center
  20. Mitch Iburg archive — entoten
  21. Diagenesis catalogue — Sage Culture
  22. Mitch Iburg documentary — Sage Culture
  23. Mitch Iburg: Talus — Hugomento
  24. TEA — Artspace 2024
  25. STOKE — Artspace 2024
  26. Harnessing Earth and Fire to Create Natural Vessels — Stephen Treffinger / The New York Times
  27. Mitch Iburg CV
  28. Mitch Iburg — Sara Japanese Pottery, New York Retrieved 2026-10-02
  29. Mitch Iburg — Sage Culture, Los Angeles Retrieved 2026-10-02
  30. Gallery Representation — Mitch Iburg Ceramics Retrieved 2026-10-02
  31. Mitch Iburg — io, a Japanese teahouse, Copenhagen Retrieved 2026-10-02
  32. Mitch Iburg | Ceramics | hugomento Retrieved 2026-10-02