Meet Levie Rainey Alfaro | Multidisciplinary Ceramic Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Levie Rainey Alfaro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Levie, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m from Bronwood, GA. It’s a small town. Really small. The population hovers around 300 on a good day. My upbringing impacted the kind of life I’m striving to built for myself. One that’s built on community, conversation, and creating meaningful things. Life moves slower here, so it’s easy to miss the things that make life worth living. Growing up here forces you to see value where other’s don’t. It feels like a superpower sometimes.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I want to draw attention back to the overlooked things. I’m a ceramicist because working with a material that’s trodden on daily and bringing significance to something that’s already inherently valuable shows people that it’s the everyday things that bring the most meaning. Humans have been creating items from clay for thousands of years. These objects sustained life by carrying water, storing food, creating shelter and more. To be in that lineage is something to be proud of. Working with clay is the hardest form of art I’ve encountered. It’s why I can’t stop! I haven’t learned it yet, and I never will. That type of challenge is exciting and frustrating, but it’s the kind that keeps you coming back.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is a much needed outlet when you live in a small town like us. It has art, music, museums, good food! All the things I need. Recently, my husband and I have been loving The Battery. We love the restaurant C. Ellets! The best food and service. Coffee is always on our list of places to go. My favorite is the Cold Brew Bar on Memorial Drive. A trip isn’t completely with art. The High Museum has a great collection, and their exhibitions are always updating and changing. The Obama Portraits Tour is coming up, so I’ll be back for that!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be the artist I am today without the mentorship and teaching of my Ceramics Professor, Keaton Wynn of Georgia Southwestern University. I respect him so much. He pushed me to work harder and to learn more everyday. In a profession historically dominated by men, he encouraged me that my viewpoint and contribution to the world of ceramics was necessary and desired. He walks the walk and talks the talk. I’m striving to be half the human he is.

Instagram: levieraineyalfaro