Nadia Fadiga ’24 Selected for National Ceramics Exhibition

After three years of practicing the craft of ceramics, Nadia Fadiga ’24 has transformed as an artist, molding art from pinch pots to award-winning sculptures.

Most recently, her sculpture “Black Tubes” was selected for the 27th Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition in Richmond VA, where it received an Artistic Merit Award. Out of a total of 1,169 entries, 150 pieces were selected for the exhibition and only 25 received an Artistic Merit Award.

The exhibition is held during the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts’ (NCECA) annual conference. The NCECA conference brings together professionals from universities, colleges, museums, art galleries, and the ceramic arts world to view exhibitions, demonstrations, talks, and other ceramic events.

“After taking years of classes and focusing on improving, I can see a transition from where I started to where I am now,” Nadia reflected. “It is amazing to see how far I’ve come.”

After a remote freshman year, Nadia was eager to be more hands-on and explore her interest in art. When she returned to campus as a sophomore, she decided to enroll in a ceramics class.

“I did not fall in love [with ceramics] immediately,” Nadia admitted. “The moment I did was when I tried to wheel for the first time. It failed, really, but it gave me the motivation to get better and keep trying.”

Nadia spent much of her free time in the studio working on her craft. Her determination was evident to Ceramics and Sculpture Teacher Amedeo Salamoni. “The type of work that Nadia does isn’t just from being in class. Clay needs practice, consistency, pushing boundaries, and accepting failure. She spends so much time after class working and pushing herself.”

As an artform, ceramics lends itself to life lessons. While developing skills as an artist, she practiced patience and flexibility. “Things are not instant in ceramics. Sometimes you need to step away from it, come back the next day, and try it again. It’s taught me to take things as they are and not get too worried about things being perfect,” said Nadia.

Her guidance from Amedeo has given her confidence and motivation to better herself. “Amedeo is a teacher who’s dedicated to helping students. He is invested in the well-being of his students and doing what he can to provide them with any opportunity to improve.”

“Black Tubes” represents the passion Nadia has for ceramics and the work she has devoted to the artform in and out of the classroom during her time at George School.

“She kept working on this piece and trying new things until she got the forms right,” Amedeo observed. “When she was working on this piece, she kept pushing past what didn’t work to make the piece.”

“I was inspired by the geometric aspect of the project and the idea of defying gravity,” shared Nadia about her sculpture. “I wanted to have pieces that seemed to be floating and other pieces that seemed to be supported by nothing. That idea of working with form and the anti-gravity aspect inspired me.”

This piece was a departure from Nadia’s functional pieces. “I’m at the stage of being an artist where I want to try everything,” she reflected. “I don’t want to stick to one specific way of using the wheel or making slab-built pieces. I wanted to try something different than what I’ve done in class.”

“I’m excited to see if she starts to put some of those sculptural aspects into her functional work,” commented Amedeo.

Clay as a medium continues to inspire Nadia in a multitude of ways. “With clay, you have so many different possibilities,” she said. “Sculpture, functional pieces—if you have a vision in your mind, there is a way to execute it with clay.”