Elaine Buss is originally from Lively Grove, Illinois. She received a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Ohio State University in 2018 and a BFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2010. Her metaphorical approach to materials has garnered multiple recognitions, including the 2019 Emerging Artist Award from Ceramics Monthly and Best in Show in the University of Montana’s International MFA Exhibition for her installation Wander | Wonder (2018). Her work is in several notable collections, including Honos Art (Rome, Italy), Belger Collection (Kansas City, MO), Baggs Library (Columbus, OH), and C.R.E.T.A.Rome (Rome, Italy). Most recently, her work was featured in the Art Basel Miami edition of Create! Magazine. Elaine’s other awards include the Global Gateway Grant, The International Award for Visual and Performing Arts, both from Ohio State University, and an ArtistInc Fellowship from the Mid-America Arts Alliance in Kansas City, Missouri. She currently teaches at the Kansas City Art Institute in the Foundations department and is also a Career Resident at Belger Crane Yard Studios in Kansas City, Missouri.