Profile
Born and raised in the border city of El Paso, TX, George Rodriguez creates highly ornamented, figurative ceramic sculptures, often underlined by a connection to the sociopolitical issues the artist explores. Through the creation of guardian figures, tomb sculptures, and shrines, he depicts community current and forthcoming. He hopes to bring these objects—ancient relics that transcend time—into the present. They carry hope and loss, acceptance and challenge, ornament and simplicity.
Rodriguez holds a BFA from the University of Texas El Paso and an MFA in ceramics from the University of Washington, Seattle. His world curiosity grew as a recipient of a Bonderman Travel Fellowship where he traveled the world through most of 2010. His work has shown at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA; Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA; Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA; the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University, Salem, OR and others. His sculptures are part of the collections of the National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, IL; Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C. and the National Museum in Stockholm, Sweden and others. George was featured on PBS Craft in America “Storytellers” episode in 2020.