Krista Willey is a student currently pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics at the University of North Georgia. She is focusing her work on women’s uterine and ovarian health diseases through hand building and wheel throwing. Krista enjoys pushing the boundaries of what clay is traditionally thought to be able to withstand and using a variety of finishing techniques on the surfaces of her pieces. After graduation, Krista plans on pursuing various apprenticeship and residency programs before going to get her Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics. Her ultimate goal is to open a semi-public studio space to continue to make art focusing on women’s uterine and ovarian health diseases.

I enjoy using ceramics to bring joy to people’s lives while also bringing awareness to women’s uterine and ovarian health diseases.

With my functional pieces, I enjoy using a variety of finishing techniques such as underglaze, commercial glazes, and glazes that I mix myself. I find myself mainly throwing mugs as I believe that starting the day with a handmade, beautiful piece of art is important and comforting. I enjoy experimenting with a range of different finishes and testing various ways to combine different finishing techniques.

Ceramics is often thought of as being delicate and fragile, yet it can withstand thousands of years and thousands of degrees of heat. I enjoy pushing the boundaries of clay to show that it can do much more than we think. Just like ceramics, women struggling with diseases such as endometriosis are able to find a balance between fragility and strength. Through my body of work focusing on women’s uterine and ovarian health diseases, I show that although we may feel as though we are standing alone while dealing with uterine and ovarian diseases, we can find unmatched strength within ourselves and discover that we are more than our diagnosis. These pieces are representational of my personal story and have brought me strength by sharing this part of me. This body of work is used to bring much-needed awareness and knowledge to the women who spend an average of eight years awaiting a diagnosis, being subjected to dismissal of their pain. More so, it is a call for action - for research into effective and lasting treatment and help for so many women who are tired of living in pain.