Jani Maria Morales (b. 1989, Bronx, NY)
is an interdisciplinary artist whose work touches on cultural displacement, memory, and history. Morales often works with clay, found objects, wood, and crochet textiles fabricated by her grandmother. Morales recreates domestic spaces that are now vivid memories and relates them to the present day. When working on a project, her process may be guided by a memory evoked at that moment, by topics in Puerto Rican and Caribbean history, or the relationship between New York City, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Morales questions displacement while intertwining personal stories through vessels made in various materials.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sculpture, SUNY Purchase, NY, May 2026
Teaching and Academic Experience
Ceramic Teaching Assistant, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY, Spring 2026
Teaching Artist, Katonah Art Center, Mt Kisco, NY, 2025 - present
Program Assistant, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2023 - 2025
Lead Ceramic Specialist, Elmwood Day Camp, Dobbs Ferry, NY, 2025
Digital Dimensions Teaching Assistant, Purchase College, Purchase, NY, Fall 2025
Studio Assistant, Sculpture Department, Purchase College, Purchase, NY, Fall 2025
Studio Monitor, Digital Dimensions, Purchase College, Purchase, NY, Fall 2025
Wheel Throwing Demos, Port Chester Art Festival, Port Chester, NY, 2025
Printmaking in Clay Workshop, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2024
Full Bleed MFA Exhibition, Exhibition Practice and Management, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY, 2023
Work Exchange, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2023
Selected Group Exhibitions and Performances
Fall of Freedom, Performer, Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens, NY 2025
Briefly a Seagull, Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien, Vienna, Austria, 2025
Many Hands, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2025
Rising Stars, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2024
Rising Stars, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2023
Professional Development
Amazing Glazing Workshop, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY 2025
Exploring Flower Bricks with Avery Wells Workshop, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2025
Raku Firing with Eileen Sackman, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2024
Obvara Raku Firing with Eileen Sackman, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2024
Introduction to Mosaics Workshop, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2024
Luster Special Topic, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2024
Wheel for all Levels, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2023
Surface Design with Avery Wells, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2023 - 2024
Abstract Painting with Satish Joshi, Pelham Art Center, Pelham Manor, NY 2023
Printmaking with Satish Joshi, Pelham Art Center, Pelham Manor, NY, 2022 - 2023
Invited Talks and Studio Visits
Artist Talk, SR Lejeune, Purchase College, Purchase, NY, 2025
Artist Talk, Nsenga Knight, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY, 2025
Studio Visit with Nsenga Knight, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY, 2025
Artists Talk with Lydia C. Thompson, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY, 2024
Awards, Grants, and Recognition
Sculpture Senior Award, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY 2026
Senior Project Award, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY 2026
Windgate-Lamar Fellowship Nominee, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY, 2026
Diasporican Art in Motion, CentroPR, Hunter College, New York, NY, 2025
Dean's List, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY, (Fall 2023, Spring 2025, Fall 2025)
Skills
Metal Fabrication (Mig-welding, Tig-welding, and Oxyacetylene welding)
Ceramic and Pottery (Wheel throwing, handbuilding, speciality in surface decoration techniques, kiln and studio management, raku firing, and glaze firing techniques)
Digital Fabrication (CNC machinery, laser cutting, 3D Printing)
Software (Rhino 8, Adobe Suite, Procreate)