PJ Hargraves is a ceramic artist from Philadelphia, currently residing in Northeast Ohio. As the full-time 3D Technician at the University of Akron, PJ oversees the ceramics, sculpture, and metalsmithing facilities and also teaches ceramics at Cuyahoga Community College and the Cleveland Institute of Art. With an MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a BFA in Ceramics from Tyler School of Art at Temple University, PJ creates positive, playful sculptures that focus on joy as essential during hardship. Inspired by the natural world, Hargraves uses intuitive mark-making to invent stylized plant life in whimsical clay environments, combining traditional folk craft with flamboyant materials like Egyptian paste and beer bottle glass. PJ's work draws on Pennsylvania Dutch folk symbols, celebrating life's abundance and emphasizing the importance of finding joy in our complicated daily lives.