For Brett Kern, the process of making ceramic forms from molds imitates, in a certain way, the process of fossilization. Objects are covered in a material that captures their shape and texture, and this in turn preserves the object in a rock-like representation. Movies, television, toys and games dominated the cultural landscape of Kern’s youth. He is a product of this specific time period, and likes to think of his artwork as the fossils that help preserve it.
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Brett Kern has a BFA from California University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from West Virginia University. He has been a long-term resident at Red Lodge Clay Center in Montana, and taught ceramics for several years at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia. He now works as a full-time studio artist in Pittsburgh, PA.