Ezra Shales

Ezra Shales, Ph.D., is a Professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, specializing in the study of craft, design history, and material culture. With a background spanning academia, curatorial work, and writing, his research explores the intersections of industry, labor, and aesthetics in craft and design.

Ezra is the author of The Shape of Craft (Reaktion, 2017) and Made in Newark: Cultivating Industrial Arts and Civic Identity in the Progressive Era (Rutgers University Press, 2010), and most recently Pitchers of American Life: Art within Reach (Bloomsbury, 2026). He has contributed to dozens of exhibition catalogs and is currently curating an exhibition titled “Who’s afraid of Basketry?” opening at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York City, in 2029.

Shales has organized and contributed to major exhibitions, including O Pioneers! Women Ceramic Artists, 1925-1960 at Alfred Ceramic Art Museum and Pathmakers: Women in Modern Craft, Mid-Century and Today at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. His expertise in material culture has led to keynote lectures and presentations at institutions like the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in the UK and the College Art Association Annual Conference.

A recipient of prestigious fellowships—including a Fulbright Research Scholar grant in Sweden, an NEH Summer Seminar award, and funding from the Craft Research Fund—Shales continues to examine the evolving roles of craft and design in contemporary culture. He holds a Ph.D. from the Bard Graduate Center, an M.F.A. in painting from Hunter College, and a B.A. in Classical Languages and Letters from Wesleyan University.

Professional Affiliations

Denman Waldo Ross Society

Editorial Board,  Journal of Modern Craft

Founding member of “The Commonwealth of Craft”

Boston Chapter of Guild of Admirers of Chimney Sweeps, Oven Makers, Roof Tilers, Well Diggers and Potters