About
Shannon “owo” Webb was born and raised on the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi. There she received her BFA in ceramics at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 2017. During the COVID pandemic, she left the island for graduate school and received an MFA at the University of Montana in 2023. After two years as a Long-Term Resident at the Red Lodge Clay center, Shannon became an artist in residence at the Saratoga Clay Arts Center in New York, and is continuing to pursue residencies.
Artist Statement
My art explores my mixed-race identity as someone who is half Korean and half white. Never feeling fully part of either, I embrace the in-between—a vague realm that I seek to solidify not just through art, but as a way of life. I recontextualize Korean folktales, mythology, and customs through my lived experience, creating a personalized narrative that is both familiar and uniquely my own.
Though my mother is Korean, I wasn’t raised speaking the language or fully immersed in the culture. Instead, I grew up in Hawai‘i, surrounded by a blend of Asian traditions, polytheism, Buddhism, and Shintoism. Acknowledging my estrangement from my Korean heritage, I engage with it not as an attempt to replicate traditions, but as a way to understand and take responsibility as a descendant.
Rather than recreating customs verbatim, I adapt them to fit my reality, hybridizing them with my own experiences. A core concept I explore is the act of making things “real.” In many traditions, teachings are passed down through stories, made real through images and sculptures, and reinforced through practice. My work is part of this continuum.
I bring my beliefs into tangible form through ceramic and mixed-media sculptures. My process begins with a search for connection—engaging with the land, celebrating celestial events, or offering gestures of gratitude. These experiences take shape through symbolic representation and metaphor. The resulting sculptures serve as cultural markers, telling fragments of my story. Ultimately, my practice is an ongoing cultural adjustment—an effort to be an active participant in the world and contribute to the evolving culture of mixed-race identity.