E. Saffronia Downing (she/her) works with wild clay to create site-specific sculptures and installations. Foraging materials from local landscapes, Downing considers correspondences between makers and matter. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at Bad Water (Knoxville, Tenn.), Resort (Baltimore, MD.), and The Franklin (Chicago). In September 2021, Downing joined continuing fellows Adriane Herman and Veronica Perez at the Lunder Institute through December 2021.
She received her BA in studio art from Hampshire College, and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Downing currently teaches the course Knowledge Lab: Craft Ecologies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the co-creator of the digital publication Viral Ecologies.
