Mariko Matsui-Bolton is a ceramic artist based in Northfield, Minnesota. They grew up playing in the woods and rivers of western Massachusetts and digging up clay in the stream bed behind their childhood home. Their work is informed by the ‘aliveness’ of clay; it is a material like no other. It has a mind of its own. To work with it is to converse with it, coaxing out a form from a material that can be both stubborn and yielding. Through clay, they explore how beauty is often twisted up with violence. They play with nature and animal motifs to tell stories about girlhood, family, and loss.

Matsui-Bolton graduated as Studio Art Major from Carleton College in 2025, and currently works as the Educational Associate for Studio Art at Carleton, where they serve as a studio technician and teaching assistant.