Work samples

  • Sculpting Genticorum
    Sculpting Genticorum
    Sculpting Genticorum at Creative Alliance on 11/15/19
  • Alex Laquement
    Alex Laquement
    Portrait of Alex Laquement, sculpted during the Oldtime Jam at the Five and Dime in Hampden on 10/8/19
  • Sculpting Chouk Bwa Libete
    Sculpting Chouk Bwa Libete
    Sculpting Chouk Bwa Libete at Creative Alliance on 11/9/19
  • Darius Scott
    Darius Scott
    Portrait of Darius Scott. Sculpted at Terra Cafe on 11/4/19

About Jani

Baltimore City - Highlandtown A&E District
Jani Hileman is a multidisciplinary sculptor whose practice navigates ceramics, metal, wood, and photographic media. Her work is often made with intensive hands-on processes that allow the materials to influence the final aesthetic of each of her pieces.  

She draws inspiration from intensive processes, her materials, landscapes, personal experiences, feminism, environmentalism and politics. Hileman explores the everyday, the body, craft, gender, and the nature of objects… more

Live Sculpting: Documenting Music & Musicians in Baltimore

Hileman is engaged in a three-year project during her residency at Creative Alliance to sculpt 500 ceramic portraits of musicians, created during live performances in the Baltimore metropolitan area. All 500 will be shown together at Creative Alliance in May 2021. These portraits are created live during performances, and are woodfired at Baltimore Clayworks. Venues included so far:  Bertha’s Mussels, Le Mondo, Waverly Brewing Co, Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Mobtown Ballroom, Creative Alliance, Waterfront Hotel, Cat’s Eye Pub, 1919, Light City, North Ave Market, Terra Cafe, Union Collective, Function Co Work, Laughing Pint, Baltimore Clayworks, Five & Dime Alehouse, Baltimore Center Stage, The Crown, Upperco Music Festival, Zizzimos, WTMD 1st Thursdays, Dundalk Heritage Park, Friends of Patterson Park Pagoda Concerts, Reverb, Ottobar
  • Sculpting the Daisy Castro Quartet
    Sculpting the Daisy Castro Quartet
    Sculpting the Daisy Castro Quartet at Creative Alliance on 11/11/19
  • Sculpting Genticorum
    Sculpting Genticorum
    Sculpting Genticorum at Creative Alliance on 11/15/19
  • Sculpting Chouk Bwa Libete
    Sculpting Chouk Bwa Libete
    Sculpting Chouk Bwa Libete at Creative Alliance on 11/9/19
  • David Wax Musuem
    David Wax Musuem
    Sculpting Anthony da Costa and David Wax during David Wax Museum's Album Release at Creative Alliance on 10/23/19
  • Rushad Eggleston
    Rushad Eggleston
    Sculpting Rushad Eggleston at Black Cherry Puppet Theater on 12/9/19
  • Sculpting at Five & Dime
    Sculpting at Five & Dime
    Sculpting Dr. Don Donahue & Alex Laquement at the Five and Dime Alehouse in Hamden during the Oldtime Jam on 10/8/19
  • Sculpting Terra Cafe
    Sculpting Terra Cafe
    Sculpting Eric Worthy at Terra Cafe on 10/21/19
  • Sculpting Navasha Daya
    Sculpting Navasha Daya
    Sculpting Navasha Daya and the Soul Protectors at Creative Alliance on 12/6/19
  • Insect Surfers
    Insect Surfers
    Sculpting Colonel Josh Arnson of Colonel Josh & the Honky Tonk Heroes and David Arnson Insect Surfers at Creative Alliance on 8/19/19
  • UHHM @ Bertha's Mussels
    UHHM @ Bertha's Mussels
    Sculpting Nick Saia and Jack Naden of UHHM at Bertha's Mussels on 10/28/19

Live Sculpting: Portraits 5

Hileman is engaged in a three-year project during her residency at Creative Alliance to sculpt 500 ceramic portraits of musicians, created during live performances in the Baltimore metropolitan area. All 500 will be shown together at Creative Alliance in May 2021. These portraits are created live during performances, and are woodfired at Baltimore Clayworks. Venues included so far:  Bertha’s Mussels, Le Mondo, Waverly Brewing Co, Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Mobtown Ballroom, Creative Alliance, Waterfront Hotel, Cat’s Eye Pub, 1919, Light City, North Ave Market, Terra Cafe, Union Collective, Function Co Work, Laughing Pint, Baltimore Clayworks, Five & Dime Alehouse, Baltimore Center Stage, The Crown, Upperco Music Festival, Zizzimos, WTMD 1st Thursdays, Dundalk Heritage Park, Friends of Patterson Park Pagoda Concerts, Reverb, Ottobar
  • Alex Laquement
    Alex Laquement
    Portrait of Alex Laquement, sculpted during the Oldtime Jam at the Five and Dime in Hampden on 10/8/19
  • Sarygtar Akeksei
    Sarygtar Akeksei
    Portrait of Sarygtar Akeksei of Hun Hurr Tu, sculpted on 10/14/19 at Creative Alliance
  • Darius Scott
    Darius Scott
    Portrait of Darius Scott. Sculpted at Terra Cafe on 11/4/19
  • Kaigal-ool Khoyalyg
    Kaigal-ool Khoyalyg
    Portrait of Kaigal-ool Khoyalyg from Hun Huur Tu, sculpted on 10/14 at Creative Alliance
  • Dan Samuels
    Dan Samuels
    Portrait of Dan Samuels from the Bumper Jacksons, sculpted on 10/4/19 at Creative Alliance
  • Frank Ecker
    Frank Ecker
    Portrait of Frank Ecker from The Wedge. Sculpted at Baltimore Clayworks during Firefest on 10/20/19
  • Nonoka Mizukami
    Nonoka Mizukami
    Portrait of Nonoka Mizukami of Pique Collective, sculpted on 11/1/19 at Union Craft Brewing
  • Dezron Douglass
    Dezron Douglass
    Portrait of Dezron Douglass, sculpted on 10/6/19 at Creative Alliance
  • Randi
    Randi
    Portrait of Randi from Infinity Knives + Randi. Sculpted at Creative Alliance on 10/12/19
  • Dr. Don Donahue
    Dr. Don Donahue
    Portrait of Dr. Don Donahue, sculpted during the Oldtime Jam at the Five and Dime in Hampden on 10/8/19

Live Sculpting: Portraits 4

Hileman is engaged in a three-year project during her residency at Creative Alliance to sculpt 500 ceramic portraits of musicians, created during live performances in the Baltimore metropolitan area. All 500 will be shown together at Creative Alliance in May 2021. These portraits are created live during performances, and are woodfired at Baltimore Clayworks. Venues included so far:  Bertha’s Mussels, Le Mondo, Waverly Brewing Co, Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Mobtown Ballroom, Creative Alliance, Waterfront Hotel, Cat’s Eye Pub, 1919, Light City, North Ave Market, Terra Cafe, Union Collective, Function Co Work, Laughing Pint, Baltimore Clayworks, Five & Dime Alehouse, Baltimore Center Stage, The Crown, Upperco Music Festival, Zizzimos, WTMD 1st Thursdays, Dundalk Heritage Park, Friends of Patterson Park Pagoda Concerts, Reverb, Ottobar
  • Sasuki
    Sasuki
    Portrait of Sasuki of Chouk Bwa Libete, sculpted at Creative Alliance on 11/9/19
  • Chris Ouskey
    Chris Ouskey
    Portrait of Chris Ouskey of The Bumper Jacksons. Sculpted at Creative Alliance on 10/4/10
  • Cyril Jordan
    Cyril Jordan
    Portrait of Cyril Jordan of the Flaming Groovies. Sculpted on 11/2/19 at Creative Alliance
  • Maloune
    Maloune
    Portrait of Maloune of Chouk Bwa Libete. Sculpted on 11/9/19
  • David Wax
    David Wax
    Portrait of David Wax of David Wax Museum. Sculpted on 10/23/19
  • Ari Plutznik
    Ari Plutznik
    Portrait of Ari Plutznik from Tidal Shifts, sculpted at Reverb Collective on 8/10/19
  • Mike Graham
    Mike Graham
    Portrait of Mike Graham. Sculpted at Terra Cafe on 11/4/19
  • Skye Paddock
    Skye Paddock
    Portrait of Skye Paddock of Tidal Shifts. Sculpted at Function Co-Work on 10/31/19
  • Brent Birckhead
    Brent Birckhead
    Portrait of Brent Birkhead. Sculpted at Creative Alliance on 6/28/19
  • Nick Saia
    Nick Saia
    Portrait of Nick Saia of UHHM. Sculpted at Bertha's Mussels on 10/28/19

Live Sculpting: Portraits 3

Hileman is engaged in a three-year project during her residency at Creative Alliance to sculpt 500 ceramic portraits of musicians, created during live performances in the Baltimore metropolitan area. All 500 will be shown together at Creative Alliance in May 2021. These portraits are created live during performances, and are woodfired at Baltimore Clayworks. Venues included so far:  Bertha’s Mussels, Le Mondo, Waverly Brewing Co, Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Mobtown Ballroom, Creative Alliance, Waterfront Hotel, Cat’s Eye Pub, 1919, Light City, North Ave Market, Terra Cafe, Union Collective, Function Co Work, Laughing Pint, Baltimore Clayworks, Five & Dime Alehouse, Baltimore Center Stage, The Crown, Upperco Music Festival, Zizzimos, WTMD 1st Thursdays, Dundalk Heritage Park, Friends of Patterson Park Pagoda Concerts, Reverb, Ottobar
  • Lafayette Gilchrist
    Lafayette Gilchrist
    Portrait of Lafayette Gilchrist, sculpted at Creative Alliance on 9/27/19
  • Billy McComiskey
    Billy McComiskey
    Portrait of Billy McComiskey. Sculpted at Laughing Pint during Irish Music Night on 10/30/19
  • Joseph Terell
    Joseph Terell
    Portrait of Joseph Terell of MIPSO, sculpted on 8/8/19
  • Jason Kane
    Jason Kane
    Portrait of Jason Kane, sculpted on 9/20/19 at the Upperco Music Festival
  • Micah E Wood
    Micah E Wood
    Portrait of Micah E Wood, sculpted on 8/3/19 at the Ottobar
  • Hannah Thompson
    Hannah Thompson
    Portrait of Hannah Thompson of the Homestead Street Band. Sculpted on 7/29/19 at Bertha's Mussels
  • Miles Gannett
    Miles Gannett
    Portrait of Miles Gannett of Fractal Cat, sculpted on 8/9/19 at Creative Alliance
  • Nicky Meara Bainbridge
    Nicky Meara Bainbridge
    Portrait of Nicky Meara Bainbridge of the Homestead Street Band, sculpted on 7/29/19
  • Tim Houston
    Tim Houston
    Portrait of Tim Houston from Coconut Head, sculpted at Bertha's Mussels on 7/29/19
  • Sambaton
    Sambaton
    Portrait of Sambaton of Chouk Bwa Libete. Sculpted on 11/9/19 at Creative Alliance

Live Sculpting: Portraits 2

Hileman is engaged in a three-year project during her residency at Creative Alliance to sculpt 500 ceramic portraits of musicians, created during live performances in the Baltimore metropolitan area. All 500 will be shown together at Creative Alliance in May 2021. These portraits are created live during performances, and are woodfired at Baltimore Clayworks. Venues included so far:  Bertha’s Mussels, Le Mondo, Waverly Brewing Co, Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Mobtown Ballroom, Creative Alliance, Waterfront Hotel, Cat’s Eye Pub, 1919, Light City, North Ave Market, Terra Cafe, Union Collective, Function Co Work, Laughing Pint, Baltimore Clayworks, Five & Dime Alehouse, Baltimore Center Stage, The Crown, Upperco Music Festival, Zizzimos, WTMD 1st Thursdays, Dundalk Heritage Park, Friends of Patterson Park Pagoda Concerts, Reverb, Ottobar
  • Ana Veydó
    Ana Veydó
    Portrait of Ana Veydó of Cimmaron, sculpted on 8/4/19 at the Friends of Patterson Park Pagoda Concert.
  • David Arnson
    David Arnson
    Portrait of David Arnson of the Insect Surfers. Sculpted on 8/19/19 at Creative Alliance.
  • Dean Crawford
    Dean Crawford
    Portrait of Dean Crawford, sculpted on 9/20/19 at The Upperco Music Festival.
  • Michael Winograd
    Michael Winograd
    Portrait of Michael Winograd of Michael Winograd & The Honorable Mentshn. Sculpted at Creative Alliance on 9/21/19.
  • Tina Karsberg
    Tina Karsberg
    Portrait of Tina Karsberg, sculpted on 9/2/19 at a local backyard jam.
  • Andrew Young
    Andrew Young
    Portrait of Andrew Young, sculpted on 7/1/19 at Bertha's Mussels
  • Brad Koldner
    Brad Koldner
    Portrait of Brad Koldner, sculpted on 9/2/10 at a local backyard jam
  • Daryl Davis
    Daryl Davis
    Portrait of Daryl Davis, sculpted on 9/27/19 at Creative Alliance
  • Jake Duhley
    Jake Duhley
    Portrait of Jake Duhley, sculpted on 8/31/19 at Bertha's Mussels
  • Kian Karimi
    Kian Karimi
    Portrait of Kian Karimi of Outside Smoke, sculpted on 8/10/19 at Reverb Collective

Live Sculpting: Portraits

Hileman is engaged in a three-year project during her residency at Creative Alliance to sculpt 500 ceramic portraits of musicians, created during live performances in the Baltimore metropolitan area. All 500 will be shown together at Creative Alliance in May 2021. These portraits are created live during performances, and are woodfired at Baltimore Clayworks. Venues included so far:  Bertha’s Mussels, Le Mondo, Waverly Brewing Co, Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Mobtown Ballroom, Creative Alliance, Waterfront Hotel, Cat’s Eye Pub, 1919, Light City, North Ave Market, Terra Cafe, Union Collective, Function Co Work, Laughing Pint, Baltimore Clayworks, Five & Dime Alehouse, Baltimore Center Stage, The Crown, Upperco Music Festival, Zizzimos, WTMD 1st Thursdays, Dundalk Heritage Park, Friends of Patterson Park Pagoda Concerts, Reverb, Ottobar
  • David Licht
    David Licht
    Portrait of David Licht of Michael Winograd & The Honorable Mentshn. Sculpted on 9/21/19 at Creative Alliance. Woodfired Ceramic.
  • Jeremy Lyons
    Jeremy Lyons
    Portrait of Jeremy Lyons of the Pique Collective. Sculpted on 8/22/19 at the Heritage Park in Dundalk. Woodfired Ceramic.
  • sam tocci.jpg
    sam tocci.jpg
    Portrait of Sam Tocci of Crisco Dreams. Sculpted at Bertha's Mussels on 8/12/19. Woodfired Ceramic.
  • Sarah Sullivan
    Sarah Sullivan
    Portrait of Sarah Sullivan of Sarah Sullivan and the New Old Fashioneds. Sculpted on 8/14/19 at The Patterson Park Pagoda during the free summer concert series hosted by Friends of Patterson Park. Woodfired Ceramic.
  • Michael Cohn
    Michael Cohn
    Portrait of Michael Cohn of Haint Blue. Sculpted at The Crown on 9/25/19. Woodfired Ceramic.
  • Kim So Ra
    Kim So Ra
    Kim So Ra, Korean Percussion Master. Sculpted on 8/16/19 at Creative Alliance. Woodfired Ceramic.
  • josh stokes.jpg
    josh stokes.jpg
    Portrait of Josh Stokes. Sculpted at Creative Alliance on 8/18/19. Woodfired Ceramic.
  • Mo Pitney
    Mo Pitney
    Portrait of Mo Pitney, sculpted on 9/20/19 at the Upperco Music Festival
  • Sean P. Finn
    Sean P. Finn
    Portrait of Sean P. Finn of Fractal Cats, sculpted on 8/10/19 at Creative Alliance
  • Walsh Kunkel
    Walsh Kunkel
    Portrait of Walsh Kunkel, sculpted at Bertha's Mussels on 8/5/19

Home & Hearth


Works in Home & Hearth are reflections of common domestic objects.  By absorbing and recontextualizing these everyday forms into art, Home & Hearth reframes their focus from utility to critique.  Due to the unique indexical properties of the casting process, these objects evoke a domestic space within the gallery and open it up for conversation. Home & Hearth asks the viewer to take a critical look at their domestic spaces, the objects that inhabit them, and the roles implied by them.


Home & Hearth was shown at Maryland Institute College of Art in Pinkard Gallery during Feburary 2018.
  • View 1
    View 1
    Installation View 1, Home & Hearth.
  • Clorox Bottle, Tide Bottle with Cap
    Clorox Bottle, Tide Bottle with Cap
    Clorox Bottle, Tide Bottle with Cap. Slip Cast Porcelain. 10"x 25"x5", 2018.
  • Mud Boots
    Mud Boots
    Mud Boots, Slip Cast Porcelain, 2018. Part of Home & Hearth series.
  • Cleaning Gloves with Sponges
    Cleaning Gloves with Sponges
    Slip Cast rubber cleaning gloves and sponges. Part of Home & Hearth series. Varied sizes. 2018.
  • Frying Pans
    Frying Pans
    Slip Cast Frying Pans. Part of Home & Hearth Series. 15"x10"x2", 2018.
  • Broom Detail
    Broom Detail
    Broom, Press Molded Porcelain. 50"x10"x3". 2018. Part of Home & Hearth series.
  • Shovel Detail
    Shovel Detail
    Shovel Detail. Press Molded Porcelain, Part of Home & Hearth series. 50"x10"x5". 2018.
  • Install View 2
    Install View 2
    Home & Hearth Installation View 2.
  • Hot Water Bottle
    Hot Water Bottle
    Slip Cast Porcelain Hot Water Bottle. Part of Home & Hearth Series. 15"x10"x5". 2018.
  • Trowels
    Trowels
    Slip Cast Porcelain Trowels. 10"x2"x2". Part of Home & Hearth Series, 2018.

Terra Firma

Terra Firma is situated within the long history of narrative figuration and seeks to utilize this history and the implied constraints to activate our current political climate.These works show women as the vanguard; gaining personal power while facing hostile gender politics. Here, women are both maker and subject. The raw, powerful figures in Terra Firma portray women as aware, independent, powerful, and pushing boundaries. Pushing past the traditional feminine depiction of women in art as innocent, beautiful and accessible; these works examine the complexity of femininity today. Terra Firma taps into the resilience, diverse capability, and growing authority of modern women. Terra Firma was shown at Maryland Institute College of Art during ArtWalk 2018 in Leidy Atrium. 

  • View 2
    View 2
  • View 1
    View 1
  • Figure 12
    Figure 12
  • Figure 3
    Figure 3
  • Figure 2
    Figure 2
  • Figure 4
    Figure 4
  • View 3
    View 3
  • Figure 14
    Figure 14

Narrative Figure

  • Bus Stop Installation
    Bus Stop Installation
    Bus Stop was an installation at Creative Alliance during Weaving Visions: 2019 Resident Show
  • Bus Stop Installation 2
    Bus Stop Installation 2
  • Bus Stop Installation Overview
    Bus Stop Installation Overview
  • Bus Stop Detail
    Bus Stop Detail
    Bus Stop Detail
  • Woodfired Duo
    Woodfired Duo
    Two woodfired ceramic figures
  • Sharing Music
    Sharing Music
    Two ceramic figures sharing headphones
  • Kyanite Figure Detail
    Kyanite Figure Detail
    Detail image of a ceramic figure
  • Orangestone Figure Detail
    Orangestone Figure Detail
    Orangestone Figure Detail. Reduction fired stoneware
  • 470 Figure Detail
    470 Figure Detail
    Detail image of a ceramic figure. Reduction fired stoneware