Who the heck is Haley Jacoby?

Hi there, I’m Haley! I am originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, but I currently live in Flagstaff, Arizona. I have been doing ceramics off and on for most of my life- my dad is a potter so I’ve been exposed to clay from a young age. I have been doing ceramics more consistently since 2020. I didn’t have access to ceramics classes in middle school or high school- so I consider myself somewhat of a late bloomer.

Over the past 8 years, I have been taking classes at various colleges to hone my craft and access facilities. I currently do not have a kiln, so I am finishing pieces at NAU where I studied Art Education. As far as jewelry making goes, I took an intro to metalsmithing class in 2016, and fell in love. I didn’t have a lot of tools or space to work at the beginning of my journey, and the passion took a pause until 2019 when I moved to Flagstaff. Originally, I was working on a child’s desk in my bedroom. I slowly upgraded my tools and studio situation.

I find myself inspired by organic shapes. I love nature- the ocean and all of its inhabitants, mushrooms, trees, plant life, etc. Ever since I could remember, I have always loved beachcombing. Walking anywhere I could be found scouring the ground for cool rocks and findings.

It’s been an incredible journey prioritizing my creativity and passions. Thank you for being here and supporting me along the way! I look forward to what the future holds.

What’s the deal with all the noses???

This is a question I get often regarding my ceramics. I like making nose mugs! I think I saw something similar once and had to give it ago. It easily became an obsession. I didn’t really know why I was doing it at first, but the more I added noses to things, the more I thought about it conceptually.

I think noses are such an underlooked facial feature. Everyone always focuses on the eyes or the mouth, but never the nose! In my art, I strive to celebrate something that most are ashamed of and can be considered grotesque. You can learn so much from scent, and I find that so fascinating.

Since I started sculpting noses, I have been finding myself studying others’ while I’m in conversation with them. I’m also that friend who is shorter than everyone else and is always letting you know if you have a bat in the cave. Whether I wanted it to be or not, noses became some kind of obscure interest and I love it.

I mean, they’re right in the middle of everyone’s’ faces, how could I not be interested?