An exploration in texture.

Trained in traditional pottery at Rochester, New York's School for American Craftsmen, Nancy Jurs spent the first fifteen years of her artistic career creating functional raku works. In 1980, however, she began to expand the parameters of her ceramics, creating functional wall shelves, or "wall pouches," that suggested butterflies or female forms. These pieces were soon replaced by "blouses" that Jurs considered emblematic of women's bodies and spirit.

The relationship of the clothing-inspired pieces to Greek and Roman draped sculpture led Jurs to experiment with larger-than-life-size sculptural forms that suggest goddesses, women, and animals. The emotionally expressive clay shapes are hand-built or wheel-thrown and are glazed, painted with acrylics, or finished with any combination of techniques that appeals to the artist. "Where all my work was once a many-faceted female expression," Jurs has said, "it now appears to be much more about women in emergence—a growing out, rising above, or hatching from other forms and constraints."

Her works then grew to be larger than life with her renowned "Monulith" series, captivating audiences with their monumental presence and glaze and patina. This series includes her seminal work “Triad” which was commissioned by the Greater Rochester International Airport. It is three “totems” standing two stories tall, encapsulating historical icons of the community.

Jurs has expanded into various mediums and serves as a natural progression in her quest to explore innovative ways of searching a way to express her view. While branching out, her core mission remains unwavering — to delve deeper into the complexities of today's pressing issues. This exploration empowers us to reach a wider audience and provoke introspection, thus amplifying the impact of her creative endeavors in influencing positive change.