Matt Roeder
Artist Matt Roeder has no qualms in drawing a direct connection between making pottery and performing improve comedy. His glaze surfaces as well as his performances have an intuitive, improvisational quality, and he revels in both.
Roeder (Frankfort, KS. 1992) remembers a few key things about his creative childhood- loving the attention he got by making his family laugh (he was the youngest), and creating art, art, art. Roeder’s mother was bold and funny, while his father thought it important to set up acrylic paints and Bob Ross videos for him. Roeder’s artistic interests were nurtured from age 7-18 by mentor Carl Brothers. The high school art teacher let Roeder use his studio during the summer breaks, and he learned slab building, drawing, painting, paper making and batik. He received an amazingly well-rounded art education, and formed a personal drive for success through this kind and patient instructor.
Matt Roeder with two of his vases. Botanicals are of deep interest to him. He also doesn’t mind making a strong statement
Roeder chose Kansas State University for its graphic design program. The major seemed practical in a world where being an artist was unsure. While working through his curriculum, Roeder took a chance and tried some improve comedy. The free-flowing and unscripted form made something click in him. The newly minted actor seriously thought about dropping out of his courses to pursue improv instead. He decided to stick it out and finish his major. Roeder decided to revolve every single final design project around improv to keep himself interested. “Delfestopia”, an 8-school comedy festival was created and carried out by him. This involved building the website, registrations, animation videos, programs, tickets, posters and info packets. Roeder used every drop of his education to pull his projects together, and the results were so successful that the festival ran for many years after he finished his degree in 2015!
Two of Matt Roeder’s most recent creations. Red stoneware causes the warm speckling
Roeder was hired as a graphic designer by Chicago’s Second City Comedy Club before he even graduated (his final project helped). By May of 2015 he had shifted his whole life to the city, and was settling in well. In the five years Roeder spent at SC, he was seriously put through his paces. Each project more complicated (and sometimes more stressful) than the last. He took over branding of the SC training center and creating art for the shows. Roeder even helped create the entire branding for the bar above the club at only 26 years old. Working with SC Alums like Martin Short and Catherine O’Hara was also part of his growth. He took improv classes and performed, sharpening his wit and humor. The work experience gave him the confidence to sell his concepts, but the immense amount of projects also wore him down. He started to look for another opportunity.
Matt Roeder’s incredible POP5 sculpture depicting his anger surrounding the Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization decision by the Supreme Court
In January of 2020, Roeder accepted an art director position at United Airlines. He wasn’t sure he was up to the job (contract work), but the recruiter assured him that the immense body of work from SC more than qualified him. Two months later the COVID pandemic hit the world and devastated the airline industry. Contractors and freelancers were the first to go, but then regular staff were laid off as well. Roeder made it through, sometimes riding out the shut-downs with only a few days of work per week.
A settle of nesting casserole dishes and a botanical inspired dough bowl
Roeder has blossomed in his job at United; leading photo shoots, working on rebranding as well as flexing many different creative muscles. The graphic designer also continued to flex his comedy muscles, taking classes and performing with the Conservatory at Second City and the Annoyance Theater. Some part of his creative self was missing, so he started searching for another medium to take on. He was gravitating towards print making until his sister pointed out that he would just sit around and think about the compositions all day- not the relaxing outlet he was looking for. He joined LSPS-LC in 2018 and felt right at home.
Two new bowls by Roeder. The artist loves using a slip trailing method
Roeder took the hand building class on Friday nights and had an instant connection to the approach. The work was immediate, reactive and the lack of planning was also appealing to him. He was satisfied with his classes (for nearly 3 years) until he watched the British “Pottery Throwdown” series. The contestants oscillated between sculptural and wheel-thrown work- a real testament to their talents. Roeder felt that he couldn’t properly consider himself a ceramicist until he was also good on the wheel. After about a year of very determined throwing, he is starting to feel confident about his abilities. He now feels a healthy balance between hand building and wheel throwing. Through this creative journey he’s come to the realization that surface decoration is his sweet spot. A class demo with Art Deco underpinnings by instructor Meg Biddle sparked a lot of new ideas.
Very illustrative surface work by artist Matt Roeder
The artist made a big leap when he started to use a bulb tool- a rubbery sphere with different dispersion tips. By trailing clay slip over his surfaces, he was able to create organic, floral designs in intuitive and flowing ways. The immediate and forgiving technique reminded him of his improve work; unpredictable, and making mistakes didn’t necessarily mean you’d failed. The momentum of creating surface designs as well as performing improv can lead to creative bliss. Roeder wishes he would’ve found the ceramic art form sooner, because he “spent a lot of money trying to be funny” through improv over the years. The process is what he values most, and doesn’t see the finished work as too finite. Every part of the process brings him a feeling of success, but especially the part where he pulls work out of his imagination and through his finger tips!
Roeder observed that Kansas City had a great deal of 1960’s influence when he went to school there. Making their mark were the Retro Pop and Mid Mod movements as well as Tad Carpenter, a local designer and illustrator. The color palette also imprinted on him. Matte greens and hues inspired by the landscape often crop up in his work. The newer advocado green glaze at the studio has him reeling. His favorite forms are pitchers, planters, vases and large bowls. Items that bear enough surface area to tap into that creative intuition are recreated the most.
Roeder is also taking online art courses which are triggering new ideas for his ceramics. Botanicals really have a hold on him, and he hopes to up his 2-glaze combos up to 4, adding depth. Although it’s rough keeping track of what glaze went where and how, Roeder likes the mental challenge of the layering and the rich results it yields. The artist is looking forward to making more work that is achieved with both ease and control. With beautiful results of course.
Roeder with one of his vases- a form he especially enjoys creating for its ability to hold a lot of decorations