Summer Hills-Bonczyk

Summer Joy Hills-Bonczyk (she/her) teaches Ceramics 1 and Ceramic Art 2 in the Art & Art History Department at Macalester College. She is a Mac alumna (class of 2005) and graduated with a B.A. in Studio Art. She completed an M.F.A. in Ceramic Art from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 2011. She has received several awards and grants including an Artist Travel and Study Grant from the Jerome Foundation in 2014 and an Individual Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board in 2020.

Professor Hills-Bonczyk’s research and creative practice encompasses a wide range of formats and media including ceramic sculpture, performance, installation, functional pottery and writing. Her artwork has been exhibited locally and internationally, including a 2020 exhibition in Antigua, Guatemala as well as the Northern Clay Center, MSP International Airport and the Mira Gallery. In 2019 she co-curated an exhibition, Strange Place, for the Macalester Law Warschaw Gallery in conjunction with the NCECA Ceramics Conference. For four years, Professor Hills-Bonczyk has supervised the Macalester Empty Bowls Project, a student-initiated service project to raise funds for hunger relief. In her teaching, Professor Hills-Bonczyk prioritizes experimentation, routine and developing one-on-one relationships with her students.