Elaine Buss grew up in the wide-open prairie fields of Lively Grove, Illinois. Her work explores ambiguity and the nondescript, specifically in relation to the sensory, ineffable, and intangible experience of inhabiting a human body. She earned an MFA from Ohio State University (Ceramics, 2018) and a BFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (Ceramics, 2010). Elaine has completed multiple residencies, including Odyssey ClayWorks (Asheville, NC), c.r.e.t.a.Rome (Rome, Italy), Belger Arts (Kansas City, MO), and Charlotte Street Foundation (Kansas City, MO). She has also participated in the invitational Visiting Artist program at Anderson Ranch (Snowmass, CO).
Her work has garnered multiple awards including an Inspiration Grant (ArtsKC), Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist Award, The International Award for Visual and Performing Arts (Ohio State), and an ArtistInc Fellowship (Mid-America Arts Alliance). Her work can be found in many collections, including Honos Art (Italy), Belger Collection (Missouri), Baggs Library (Ohio), Potamkin Collection (Florida) and C.R.E.T.A.Rome (Italy). Elaine is an Assistant Professor at Kansas City Art Institute in the Foundation Department and maintains a home studio in Kansas City, Kansas.