With Midwest roots and a practice based in Seattle, Sydney Ward is a ceramic artist working primarily in functional ware. She began working with clay in childhood and continued developing her practice through hands-on studio experience, including an apprenticeship at Pottery Northwest. Her practice combines functional pottery with an ongoing exploration of color, materials, and ceramic processes.

Sydney loves creating everyday ceramic objects that bring moments of joy and delight to the mundane. She is especially interested in experimentation and technical research, from testing ceramic materials and color to discovering new ways of working with clay. She is passionate about sharing what she learns with other makers and believes that open access to technical knowledge can help make ceramics more approachable and accessible. As an instructor, she enjoys helping students build confidence through experimentation and develop the skills to bring their ideas to life.

When she travels, Sydney is always looking for new ceramic techniques, materials, and tools from around the world. When she is not in the studio, you can find her renting movies from Scarecrow Video, reading romantasy novels, and trying canelé around Seattle.