The Artist

Joshua Masters (b. 1998, San Jose, CA) was raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Masters’ interdisciplinary series are rooted in material research and informed by critical disability theory and queer theory. They pull from their research of experimental magnetite formation, human subjects research on disability identities as expressed through art, and their experience as a trans, disabled person. Masters broaches topics of disability identity, communal identity, and destigmatization through the use of autofiction, interactive ferrimagnetic pottery, and serial narrative paintings among other bodies of work. 

Among their achievements, they have been awarded Best in Show at the 56th Annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition of Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum in Cullowhee, NC, they were nominated Windgate-Lamar Fellowship nominee at the Center for Craft in Asheville, NC, and Best in Show at SparkCon in Raleigh, NC. Their works have been shown in ArtFields at the Jones-Carter Gallery in Lake City, SC, The Dark Side at the Boomer Gallery, London, UK, the 14th Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition 2023 at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT, and as part of Pride Pots: Community Conversations at the Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA. 

They began their career in the arts in 2015, freelancing, mural painting, and going on to intern as a glassblowing assistant at the Jackson County Green Energy Park while completing their BFA. Masters graduated with an Associates in Science from Wake Technical Community College in 2022, going on to use this background as a launchpad for further scientific research in psychology, sociology, and physics through their art practice. They earned a BFA in Studio Art at Western Carolina University in 2024, and are now an MFA Interdisciplinary Art candidate at Florida State University.

Thanks

Mom

I am so lucky to have you and don’t know where I’d be without you and the rest of our family. Let’s meet up for a game night or coffee soon. I miss you always.

Found Family

Jak, Ethan, Bradley, Michelle, Parker, Rachelle, Lane, Sam, Ryan, Brian, Fox, Nicholas, Peter, Tom, David, Kierra, Kit, James, Ian, Devon, Boomer, and so many more. You’ve accepted, supported, and been there for me every step of the way and I am so happy that I get to call you my friends. Please always reach out, show up unannounced, take up space in my life, I beg of you.

Western Carolina University

Western Carolina University surprised me. In the small town of Cullowhee, NC, this University is a treasured gem. Under the tutelage of Heather Mae Erickson, Carolyn Grosch, Susan Martin, Nathan Perry, and so many others, I grew as an artist and leader, becoming president of the Mudcats Clay Club, and serving as a collaborator for community initiatives like Pride Pots by Heather Mae Erickson, Empty Bowls, and Sylva Pride with Travis Rountree. I was afforded the chance to work as an Intern and Glass Blowing Assistant at the Jackson County Green Energy Park with artists like Cole Johnson and Katheryn Starrs. I received support at WCU in the form of an Academic Project Grant for my research and was awarded Best in Show at the 56th Annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition, held by the WCU Fine Art Museum and juried by Erika Diamond. Western Carolina may be hidden away in the mountains, but living there, I’ve never felt more connected and active in an art community and I’m thankful that I was able to start my art education here. Go Catamounts!

Florida State University

I did not know what to expect when moving to Tallahassee, Fl, but I could not have been more warmly welcomed. I’ve made life long connections in the MFA Studio Art Program at Florida State University with amazing professors and mentors like Marty Fielding, Tenee Hart, Grace Ali, Alena Mehić, Carrie Anne Baade, Meredith Lynn, Jeff Beekman, Rob Duarte, Celeste Ivory, Holly Hanessian, and Stephanie Leitch. My cohort: Stephanie Rowe, Rob Clifton, Lewis Denver, Benjamin Bio, Phu Nguyen, Jamani Council, Jasmine Beneby, and Denton Shields. So many potlucks, exchanges, collaborations and late nights that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Receiving the Jim Boone Endowed Art Scholarship and incredible support from the university in connecting me with gallery and exhibition opportunities, leadership opportunities as President of the League of Graduate Students, and professional opportunities teaching as an Instructor of Record at FSU and coordinating artwork exchanges between Florida State’s Working Method Contemporary Gallery and University of Florida. Florida State University has set me up for success in my career and made so much more attainable than I ever could have imagined before coming here.

Online Friends and Communities

Moving around the country and the world, you’ve always kept me sane. I’m forever thankful, glad to hear from you, and always open to make more friends.