New York native Jean Grosser received a BA in History from Barnard College, a BFA in sculpture from Alfred State College of Ceramics and an MFA in sculpture from Ohio University, Athens. She currently resides in Hartsville, South Carolina where she is Professor of Art and Chair of the Art Department at Coker College. She has been the recipient of the Individual Artist’s Fellowship from the South Carolina Arts Commission and was a finalist for the Southern Arts Federation/National Endowment for the Arts Regional Fellowships in Sculpture. Her work, inspired by her interest in political activism, has been exhibited internationally.
Since 1993, I have been creating sculptures inspired by political events. My artistic interests stem from a family tradition of political activism. My grandfather was a conscientious objector during World War I. His experiences in military prisons (Alcatraz and Leavenworth) between 1918 and 1921 have been the subject of my artwork in the past.
On a global scale, my artwork tackles issues of human rights, religious freedom and free trade. Closer to home, I have created works about health care inequities, and about racial tension in the American south. I am currently working on a series of pieces about being Jewish and coming to terms with ethnic and racial hatred spawned by the American Neo-Nazi movement. I am learning that the most effective way to transform hatred is to challenge it with honesty and humanity.