Kara Zuzu

Kara Zuzu (Zupancic) is a Pittsburgh-based ceramic sculptor whose work is rooted in the natural world, storytelling, and lived experience. Her practice spans functional ceramics and large-scale sculptural installations, using animal forms as symbolic vessels to explore themes of vulnerability, resilience, power, and connection.

Zuzu received her BA in Studio Art and Art Education from Saint Vincent College in 2007 and her MA in Art Education from Edinboro University in 2012. She spent over a decade working as a professional arts educator before transitioning fully into her studio practice in 2020, committing her focus to ceramics and sculpture.

Her work ranges from intricately hand-sculpted functional pieces to immersive sculptural environments. While largely self-taught in ceramics, Zuzu continually expands her practice through workshops and mentorships with respected artists, including a formative experience studying under Alessandro Gallo in Bali, Indonesia.

In 2022, Zuzu completed her first artist residency at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. She has since completed a three-year advanced mentorship at Anderson Ranch Arts Center under Del Harrow and Ebitenyefa Baralaye. She is currently an Artist in Residence at Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, where she was awarded a year-long Anonymous Artist Fellowship.

Zuzu’s work invites viewers into moments of mindfulness and introspection, using animal imagery as an accessible entry point for reflection, empathy, and multiple perspectives.

Photo by Julie Kahlbaugh