Jar with Theaster Gates and Jesse Williams
Roberto Lugo is known for experience driven activist surface narrative. Ceramic forms are often derived from classic Middle Eastern and historic ceramics. He uses various clays including stoneware, terracotta, and porcelain. His work is thrown or hand-built. Typical forms include ginger jars, vases, teapots, and plates. His surfaces may be finished with slip, china paint, and lusters.
Lugo says, ?I am a potter, social activist, culture-maker, rapper, spoken word poet, and educator. All of these roles that 'I am' are rooted in my childhood. I am from the ghetto; self-referentially I am a ghetto potter. The word ghetto can be a negative but I equate ?ghetto? with the word ?resourceful?. Although my history is filled with adversity, racism, and sheer bad luck; I celebrate these moments in my work, I could not make art without the experiences they have offered to me.?
"Other works by Lugo
Lugo in other collections
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Last updated: April 22, 2026
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