Clay Tenhula
They/Them/Theirs
Clay Tenhula is a sculptor drawn to materials that transform. They are currently based in Philadelphia, where they live and work, assisting artists in realising their visions while developing their own practice. Their work serves as a lens for understanding the world around them and their place within it. Working primarily in wood, glass, and handmade paper, they use process as a way to explore material, change, and relationship. Tenhula is driven by a deep appreciation for craft and the physicality of making. Their goal is to create work that invites participation, blurring the lines between viewer and object. questioning how objects assume the body they are in relationship with. Through this playful, tactile exchange, they aim to create space to fully feel into the density of our shared material reality.
Clay currently works as the Paper Studio instructor, assistant, and monitor at the Bodsky Center at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where they have collaborated with Teresa Baker, assisted artists Adebunmi Gbadebo, Alexis Granwell, and more. They previously managed Paper Think Tank, housed at Brandywine Workshop and Archive.
Clay Tenhula - Fine Art 