Thomas Schmidt

Thomas Schmidt received his BA at Loyola University Chicago in 2004, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 2006, and MFA at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2009.  Upon receiving his MFA, Schmidt worked for four years as a professor of ceramic design at the Alfred/CAFA Ceramic Design for Industry program at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. From 2004-07 Schmidt worked as a studio assistant to the renowned ceramic sculptor Ruth Duckworth. In 2012 he and partner Jeffrey Miller co-founded the design team Recycled China, whose work uses industrial waste within China to create architectural tile and sculptural objects.

Schmidt has exhibited his work at numerous venues in the United States, Europe, and Asia and has work in public collections including the Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza, Italy; the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art in Sedalia, Missouri; and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.  In 2024 he created and installed a large-scale work in the Duke Energy Plaza, the company’s headquarters in uptown Charlotte. The following year, the site-specific mural “Interwoven,” which he created with professor Erik Waterkotte, was installed at the Truist Center Plaza on Tryon Street. 

Additional information and images can be seen at www.thomasschmidt.org.