Iraq War Veteran Jesse Albrecht Exhibits Ceramics, Teaches Workshops at The Square

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (The Square) will host a traveling exhibition and two related workshops featuring ceramics artist Jesse Albrecht. Jesse Albrecht: Vessels of War & Recovery will be on view at The Square’s Cobb/Dufresne Gallery between June 12 and September 12, 2026. Albrecht will also lead two workshops in mid-June — one offered over three days exclusively for Veterans, and one offered to the public for a fee on June 20. A closing reception and artist talk for Albrecht’s exhibition will be held September 11, 2026.

About the Exhibition:

Jesse Albrecht’s exhibition, Vessels of War and Recovery, comprises 10 large pieces of wheel-thrown pottery. These are painted with underglaze and stamped with artifacts worn and carried by him while deployed in Iraq. This work takes an unflinching and humorous look at his autobiographical journey to war and the long, hard way home.

“My pots are formed like the Iraq war — poorly, and the surface is an attempt to mimic that of Iraq as well,” said Albrecht. “I use underglaze in a painterly manner to convey an emotional range from humor to horror —making each pot a unique composition of Iraq and coming home. Contemporary and historical are in juxtaposition. Historical military objects, specifically nose art of WWII and Zippos from Vietnam along with Empire pots of Europe and Asia, are influential.”

This exhibition originated at the Schoolhouse History & Art Center (SHAC) in Colstrip, Mont., and was organized by SHAC’s Executive Director, Kayla de la Ossa. It is sponsored by the Montana Art Gallery Directors Association (MAGDA), a state-wide service organization for nonprofit museums and galleries, and supported in part by grants from the Montana Arts Council, a state agency funded by the State of Montana; coal severance taxes paid based upon coal mined in Montana and deposited in Montana’s Cultural and Aesthetic Projects Trust Fund; and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the Ceramics Workshops:

During the third week of June, Jesse Albrecht will offer two versions of the same workshop titled, “Personal Narrative Multi-Dimensional Surface Decoration with Underglaze on Stoneware”. A three-day workshop open only to Veterans will be held Wednesday, June 17 through Friday, June 19, in the evenings as part of The Square’s Veterans’ Art Program. The workshop is free for Veterans, but pre-registration is required.

Albrecht will offer the same workshop at a slightly more advanced level on Saturday, June 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The fee for the public workshop is $100, with all supplies and a light breakfast included. Key concepts will include throwing, hand building, stamping, sprigging, underglaze application, and brushwork.

Registration for both workshops can be found at https://the-square.corsizio.com.

The Veterans’ Art Program is funded in part by an Artists in Schools & Communities (AISC) Residencies grant through the Montana Arts Council, an agency of the State Government, and by the National Endowment for the Arts.

About Jesse Albrecht:

Albrecht was halfway through his MFA in ceramics at the University of Iowa when he was deployed to Iraq with the U.S. military. His work interrogates the symbolic economy of globalism and other ideologies that animate and sustain conflict. With brutal honesty, he also explores the personal psychological aftermath of combat.

Albrecht trained under legendary ceramicist Don Reitz. Albrecht combines technical mastery with imagery and forms that range from refined and realistic to intentionally crude and even funny. Functional pottery has recently been added to his work.

His solo and collaborative work is held in numerous public collections, including the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He built and implemented programming in the arts for veterans of special operations, has taught in post-secondary education, and is currently a studio artist. He lives and works in Belgrade, Mont.

By Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art: June 4, 2026 - Great Falls, Mt