Jerry Josserand - Ceramics

Jerry Josserand grew up in Oakland, IL, attended Eastern Illinois University, graduating with a B.S. in Art Education. It was while teaching middle school art in Springfield he met his late wife Gloria and they married in late summer after completing his Masters degree at E.I.U.

Jerry was then asked to teach high school 3-D art,  he decided to attend some classes at the Springfield Art Association for instruction on the potter’s wheel. Jerry went on to further his experience with clay by taking ceramic classes at Sangamon State University with Bob Dixon. It was Bob Dixon who first inspired Jerry’s exploration of surface decoration on wheel thrown pieces. Jerry was then hooked and continued experimenting with varying techniques.

Jerry’s early wheel thrown work had a style that appealed to the Prairie style of design. In addition to his continued progression of the Prairie style, he has expanded to several different decorative techniques: mixed glazes, colored slips, wax resistant, painted design, impressions, craving, and other creative expressions.
As a long time members of Prairie Art Alliance, Jerry and his late wife Gloria helped with many fundraisers and exhibition displays. Jerry and Gloria, both ceramics artists, each had their own studio workplace, but frequently shared ideas and critiqued each other’s work.

They traveled to several states where they showed their work in summer art fairs. In addition, over the years their work was shown and offered in galleries and shops in the Midwest.
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Jerry felt honored when he was chosen to create the mayor's awards in 2003 and when seventeen of his pieces were purchased for permanent display in the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Springfield.