Ashley Lyon (b. 1983, Palm Springs, CA) transforms clay into a vessel for psychological depth and emotional resonance, constructing objects and images that engage a charged dialogue between space, viewer, image, and form. Rejecting life-casting, she meticulously hand-builds each element of her sculptures, pushing the boundaries of realism to move beyond conventional figuration. Through this process, Lyon gives physical shape to the layered, often contradictory realities of motherhood, experiences that are at once awe-inspiring, tender, disorienting, and relentless.
Central to her practice is the concept of matrescence, the “birth of a mother”, a term popularized by psychiatrist Alexandra Sacks. Lyon draws upon this idea to explore the profound psychological and physical transformations of becoming a parent, a period marked by intensity, ambivalence, and emotional complexity. Her work reveals the tension between lived experience and expectation, how the realities of motherhood frequently diverge from inner ideals and the narratives prescribed by culture and society.
Lyon lives and works in Newburgh, NY. She received her BFA in Ceramics from the University of Washington and her MFA in Sculpture + Extended Media from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has participated in residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, the European Ceramic Work Centre, and the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and is a two-time recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (2011, 2014). Her work has been exhibited at institutions including the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts (Omaha, NE), Hunter College (New York, NY), SUNY Cortland (Cortland, NY), The Sculpture Center (Cleveland, OH), the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum (Alfred, NY), and Jane Lombard Gallery (New York, NY).