Kohler Co. Pottery

By CGN Staff

Founded in 1974 by visionary arts leader Ruth DeYoung Kohler, Arts/Industry has become a remarkable, midwest-based collaboration between art and industry that impacts the arts throughout the United States. Administered by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and hosted and funded by Kohler Co., the residency invites artists to create work within the company’s Pottery and Foundry facilities in Kohler, Wisconsin—working alongside the skilled craftspeople who power the factory floor.

Each year, twelve artists participate in three-month residencies, with four artists in residence at a time. In every cohort, two artists work in the Pottery and two in the Foundry, developing projects in ceramic, cast iron, and brass. Residents receive 24/7 access to studio space inside the factory, along with industrial materials, specialized equipment, technical support, housing, transportation, and a weekly honorarium.

Immersed in this uniquely industrial setting, artists are exposed to a depth of technical knowledge and material possibility rarely available in traditional studios. The experience encourages bold experimentation—often leading to forms and concepts that would not otherwise be possible.

Michelle Im. Photo: Jason Campbell.

Chase Barney. Photo: Pao Houa Her.

The 2026 Pottery Cohort includes Chase Barney and Michelle Im. Barney, a Minneapolis-based ceramic sculptor born in Provo, Utah, creates hand-built vessels that merge historical forms with layered storytelling drawn from folklore, queerness, theology, and pop culture. Im, a Korean American artist based in Queens, New York, was a 2024 Artist Fellow at the Museum of Arts & Design and serves on the faculty at Greenwich House Pottery, bringing an interdisciplinary background in biological sciences and art to her material investigations.

In the Foundry Cohort, Ben Gould and Ana Buitrago bring distinct yet exploratory approaches. Raised in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills, Gould examines how energy moves through the body, geology, and the built environment through rigorous material research and experimentation. Bogotá-born Buitrago, an artist and designer with an international exhibition history, works across disciplines and has been featured in publications including Vogue Latam, Elle France, and Architectural Digest Latam.

Together, these artists exemplify the experimental spirit that has defined Arts/Industry for more than five decades—pushing technical and conceptual boundaries at the intersection of art and manufacturing.

More information at jmkac.org

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Ben Gould. Photo: Gabriella Lacza

Ana Buitrago. Photo: Iron Lotus Creative.