nadia stieglitz

In South Carolina, self-taught sculptor Nadia Stieglitz says her abstract ceramic forms explore the intersection of art and nature, using themes of femininity, topography, dance and spatial philosophy.

Artist: Born in France and raised in the Alps, Stieglitz has degrees in economics, languages and marketing. She lived and worked in Paris, then London for five years and Brooklyn, NY, for 20.

A former publishing executive and creative consultant, Stieglitz was also the founder of “Mice at Play,” a business focused on play to reconnect women with their playful selves. While in New York, she also took classes in painting, photography and graphic design at night. In 2016, she and her family moved to Charleston.

Studio: Works at Studio Union, a professional art space in Charleston. She became a member in 2022.

In the beginning: She discovered ceramics coincidentally when her kids told her about a clay studio in 2019. Stieglitz explored hand-building and loved being able to make 3-D art.

When Covid hit, she started making and experimenting with ceramic forms at her kitchen table.

In June 2021, Stieglitz got the first big bump of her ceramic career when her sculptures were showcased and sold at a Bibelot Home popup at the Dewberry Hotel in Charleston.

Art & materials: Abstract clay sculptures ($1,200 to $2,600), often with patterns and textures in organic forms.

What’s popular: Several series, including: “Making Waves,” “Symbiotic,” “Parure,” “Topography” and “Lunar Attraction.”

Favorite tool: Slab roller.

Inspirations: Many, including:

Nature and geology.
Dance classes from her youth.
Empowerment and personal boundaries.
Artists including: Isamu Noguchi, Zaha Hadid, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Zizipho Poswa, Ruth Duckworth, Gordon Baldwin, El Anatsui, and Deirdre McLoughlin.

Recent honors:

Accepted twice at Artfields, an annual arts festival in Lake City, SC. 2022 and 2023.
Selected as one of three emerging artists at Artisphere, Greenville, SC. 2022.
A finalist at ArtBox Projects in Miami, FL. 2022.
A finalist in Biosphere, an online international art exhibit featuring women artists from around the world. 2022.
Visiting artist at The Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC. Oct.-Dec. 2022.
A solo show at the Gibbes called “Oceanic Drift: Sculptures Washed Ashore.” June-July 2023.

Recent project: A group exhibition, “Southeast Contemporary” at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon, GA. The exhibit, which spotlights 3D art, runs through June 1.

What’s next:

A new series titled “Magma.” The series draws inspiration from her connection to nature, the Alps and geology, while delving (using red lines) into the unseen depths of our emotions, she said.
Training in France with British artist Jane Norbury, who works with slab. April 15.
Attending a second-year of her three-year summer residency at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, CO. August.

Where to buy: