“I am drawn to the creative process of modular architectural ceramics, that is, how a form can, by virtue of repetition, light and surface treatment, become more than itself.  The individual form is a vehicle from which larger sculptural expressions emerge.  My goal is for these expressions to become a vital and integral part of one's day-to-day living environment.  Whether sculptures or modular ceramics, I think of my work as reflecting a spiritual resonance that spans from ancestral musings to organic contemporary.”

Ceramic sculptor Eric Pilhofer is a graduate of the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Pilhofer currently teaches at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts and works out of a studio in northeast Minneapolis.  He has exhibited widely in the Upper Midwest and recently won “Best of Show” at the Upper Midwest Juried Sculpture Show.   In addition to numerous private figurative and modular commissions, several of his figurative sculptures are part of the permanent collection at the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth.

Pilhoferwerks specializes in modular architectural ceramic systems for interior and exterior residential and commercial applications. Each unique sculptural system is created to be site and installation specific, and is hand made in our studio located Minneapolis. Systems are designed for a wide range of applications, including sculptural surface treatment, freestanding sculptural walls and water features to name a few.  Pilhoferwerks recently won a “Best Exhibit / Innovative Product” award at the 70th AIA convention in Minneapolis MN.

We work closely with the architect, interior designer or landscape designer through the creative, design and installation process.  A project typically begins with development of a variety of concept drawings until a consensus is reached as to the project's direction.  We then refine this direction and generally develop a working model of the system and also propose an installation configuration of the system.  The next step is to create the master form or forms.  Once the master mold is made, test castings of the modules are made for client approval. These test castings are also used for finish testing and approvals.

Pieces are slip cast, press molded or hand built in a range of earthenware and stoneware ceramic clay bodies, as dictated by form design and installation requirements. Module absorption rates range between 0.0 and 3.0 depending on the clay body and final firing temperatures. Surface treatments and glazes are customized and modules often go through multiple firings in order to obtain the desired finish.

Modular sculptures may be installed on new or existing brick, concrete, duro-rock or sheet rock surfaces using conventional construction materials and may or may not be grouted, depending on esthetic, environmental and location considerations.  Module and system sizes are designed to fit existing or new construction space requirements.

Pilhoferwerks either supervises and or performs the final installation on site.  Because we are creating sculptural works, we believe our personal involvement in this step is artistically critical and allows for creative opportunities or changes on site to be maximized.