A conversation with Jennifer Fiore at her ceramic studio and showroom in Clinton Hill, which she shares with her MONDAYS collaborator, Nina Lalli.
What led you to ceramics?
I started in 2011 after seeing a friend post about a ceramics class. At the time, I was looking for a new studio practice that wasn't photography, which I have a background in. Once the class ended, I immediately signed up for another—without telling my husband. I really connected with the medium. It felt like an escape: I got dirty again, and I was really happy to.
How did you start your partnership/collaboration?
I met Nina in ceramics class—she had been in the class longer than I had. After about a year of being in the class together, ceramics were filling up our apartments, and we realized we should do something together. In 2012, our creative partnership began, and MONDAYS was born.
Our work is quite different. Nina’s shapes are more geometric—she has an idea and executes it perfectly. I’m not as meticulous; my work is about the unexpected moments that emerge during the process. Although our styles and approaches differ, Nina and I have very complementary skills. We work extremely well together.
You use several different techniques—which is your favorite?
Wood firing is our favorite—it’s the most unpredictable process; you never know how something is going to turn out. There’s a dynamism in the finished surfaces that we can’t achieve in our electric kilns. We make the work here at our Brooklyn studio, bisque fire it, then bring it to a kiln in Cold Spring, New York, where we glaze and fire it.
Where do you find inspiration?
I try to see art at least once a week—whether it’s by going to a museum or arriving 20 minutes early to an appointment just to walk around. I’m very inspired by my trips on the ferry, which I often take to get from home to the studio. The way the light shifts across the river—just watching and feeling the light—is a constant source of inspiration. I’m also drawn to textures, architectural details, and surface decorations on stoops as I walk around the city. And, of course, other artists. We often collaborate with our studio neighbors, including a florist (ASMITE) and a lighting designer (Rosie Li).
