Samantha Kershnar

Instagram: niadartcenter

Website: https://niadartstore.org/search?q=samantha+kershnar&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Bio: Samantha Kershnar (b.1979) is a multidisciplinary artist based in the Bay Area whose practice spans printmaking, sculpture, jewelry, fiber arts, and drawing. Kershnar often recreates human, animal, and hybrid characters from literature and film. She describes her influences: “I like making different types of art for people in my life and for myself. I like making children’s books because children inspire me. My nephew inspires me to draw things that he enjoys such as dinosaurs and animals from across the world.” In this spirit of community-building and play, her recent series of miniature ceramic dioramas function as interactive spaces. These boldly glazed “Dollhouse Rooms” are furnished with little beds, tables, and bookshelves — each scaled to match a variety of hand-built clay figurines, which range from dragons to rabbits to snowmen.

Statement: Kershnar’s sculptures and drawings have been featured in group exhibitions around the Bay Area, notably at Sonoma State University, Et. Al Gallery San Francisco, and the Oakland Museum of California. Multiple items from her collection of tie-dyed clothing and accessories lit up the runway during NIAD's biennial Fashion Show, The Way We Are, Now (2024). Samantha Kershnar has worked at NIAD Art Center in Richmond, CA since 2018.