Rate My Professor Steven Godfrey

Steven Godfrey serves as Professor of Art, specializing in ceramics, and Chair of the Department of Art at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He earned an M.F.A. in Ceramics from the Alfred School of Art and Design, completed Post-Baccalaureate Studies at the Kansas City Art Institute, and holds a B.F.A. from the Hartford Art School. Joining UAA in 2004 as the area coordinator for the Ceramics program, Godfrey has coordinated the Visiting Artist Program, hosting over 45 workshops with nationally recognized artists such as Andrew Clark, Deborah Schwartzkopf, Brenda Quinn, Gerardo Monterubbio, and Sue Tirrell. Under his direction, the ceramics area has become a key contributor to the Kids Kupboard Food Pantry Fundraiser in Palmer, Alaska. He teaches courses including Beginning Wheel Throwing, Intermediate Wheel Throwing, Advanced Wheel Throwing, Introduction to Figurative Ceramic Sculpture, and Mold Making.

Godfrey maintains a dedicated studio practice, creating functional pottery in porcelain and stoneware influenced by subjects like old New England tobacco barns, the color of honey, 1930s French automobiles, Native Alaskan ivory bird carvings, children’s book illustrations, Danish furniture, and magpies. His recent solo exhibitions include Featured Artist at Signature Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia (2023), Night Colors at Schaller Gallery in Benton Harbor, Michigan (2021), and Simply Sublime at Schaller Gallery (2019). Notable group exhibitions feature Bird Permutations at the NCECA Conference in Richmond, Virginia (2024), Birds and Fishes at Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Montana (2023), Thinking With Animals at Canton Art Museum in Canton, Ohio (2022), and Wichita National Ceramics Exhibition at Reuben Saunders Gallery in Wichita, Kansas (2022). He has presented workshops at Red Lodge Clay Center (2022), Bulldog Pottery in Seagrove, North Carolina (2018), Rochester Institute of Technology (2017), and North Carolina Potters Conference (2016). In recognition of his teaching excellence, Godfrey received the 2026 NCECA Excellence in Teaching Award. His service includes chairing the Department of Art Search Committee, serving on the Bachelor of Fine Arts Committee, Student Resources Committee, Chemical Safety Committee, and CAS Peer Review Committee, as well as advising the Clay Body Club and McPeck Gallery Advisory Board. During his 2022-2023 sabbatical, he researched museums, architectural sites, and cultural festivals in Vienna, Prague, and Graz.