Most people stumble across Johanna Chase’s name through her son, actor Jesse Williams. But behind that connection lives a quiet, creative force who’s been shaping clay and building a craft legacy for decades. She’s a potter and ceramicist whose work speaks to heritage, patience, and the beauty of handmade objects in a mass-produced world.
Worth noting upfront: another Johanna Chase works as a musician and singer-songwriter. This article focuses on the artist and mother whose studio work and family ties have drawn public curiosity.
Who is Johanna Chase?
Johanna Chase is a ceramicist and studio potter based in the United States. She’s best known publicly as the mother of Jesse Williams, the actor who starred in Grey’s Anatomy and became a vocal advocate for civil rights. But long before her son stepped into the spotlight, Chase was building her own creative path through clay, glaze, and fire.
Her work centers on functional pottery — bowls, plates, mugs — crafted with attention to form and texture. She runs her own studio and has exhibited pieces that blend traditional techniques with personal style. Her approach reflects a commitment to slow craft, where each piece takes time and carries intention.
Chase’s Swedish and African-American heritage influences her aesthetic. She grew up surrounded by art and culture, which fed her curiosity about materials and design. That mix of backgrounds shows up subtly in her work, where clean lines meet warmth and organic shapes.
Early Life and Artistic Beginnings
Johanna Chase grew up in an environment where creativity wasn’t just encouraged — it was expected. Her family valued art, conversation, and cultural exploration. She spent her formative years learning to see beauty in everyday objects and understanding that making things by hand carried meaning.
She didn’t start with pottery right away. Like many artists, she explored different media before settling on ceramics. The tactile nature of clay drew her in. She loved the way it responded to pressure, how it could be shaped, fired, and transformed into something both useful and beautiful.
Her training combined formal classes with self-directed learning. She studied techniques from different ceramic traditions, paying close attention to Japanese and Scandinavian styles that emphasize simplicity and function. Over time, she developed her own voice — one that honors tradition but doesn’t copy it.
Family & Heritage
Chase’s Swedish roots connect her to a design tradition known for minimalism and clean functionality. Scandinavian ceramics often feature muted colors, simple forms, and a focus on everyday usability. Those principles show up in her work, even when she’s experimenting with bolder glazes or textures.
Her African-American heritage brings another layer. It grounds her in a history of resilience, creativity under constraint, and the importance of cultural memory. She’s spoken about how both sides of her background inform her perspective — not as separate influences, but as parts of a whole identity that shapes how she sees and makes art.
Growing up in this blended cultural space taught her to value craftsmanship, patience, and the stories objects can tell. Those lessons stayed with her as she built her studio practice.
From Studio to Signature Pieces
Johanna Chase works primarily with stoneware and porcelain. She throws most pieces on the wheel, shaping them by hand and refining them through multiple stages. Her aesthetic leans toward understated elegance — smooth surfaces, soft curves, and glazes that range from earthy browns to soft blues and creamy whites.
Functionality matters to her. She makes pieces meant to be used, not just admired. A mug from her studio fits comfortably in your hand. A bowl sits steady on the table. That focus on usability doesn’t sacrifice beauty; it just means the beauty serves a purpose.
Her glazing process involves layering and experimentation. She tests combinations, adjusts firing temperatures, and pays attention to how colors shift in the kiln. Some pieces feature subtle variations — a speckled finish, a gradient of tone — that come from this careful process.
Chase sells her work through her studio and at select exhibitions. She doesn’t mass-produce. Each piece takes time, and she prefers to keep production small so she can maintain quality and personal connection to the work. Buyers often appreciate the individuality of each item, knowing no two pieces are exactly alike.
Johanna Chase — The Public Figure (and Family Life)
Johanna Chase raised her children with the same values that guide her pottery: patience, attention to detail, and respect for process. Her son Jesse Williams has spoken publicly about his mother’s influence, crediting her with teaching him to think critically and care about justice.
Jesse Williams, born in 1981, grew up watching his mother work in her studio. He saw firsthand what it meant to commit to a craft, to work through frustration, and to find satisfaction in creating something real. That grounding in slow, intentional work shaped his approach to acting and activism.
Chase has largely stayed out of the media spotlight, even as her son’s career brought public attention. She values privacy and prefers to let her work speak for itself. When she does appear in interviews or social media posts connected to her son, she comes across as thoughtful, warm, and deeply proud of her family.
Her marriage and personal relationships remain mostly private. She’s built a life that balances creative work, family, and community without seeking public validation. That quiet strength resonates with people who discover her story through Jesse’s fame and then learn she’s been making meaningful work all along.
Where She Works Now & How She Shares Her Art
Johanna Chase continues to work from her studio, where she maintains a steady practice of throwing, glazing, and firing pottery. Her workspace reflects her aesthetic — clean, organized, and filled with natural light. She shares glimpses of her process on social media, though she’s not overly active online.
Her Instagram account, linked through her studio site J. Chase Ceramics features finished pieces, works in progress, and occasional behind-the-scenes shots of her workspace. She posts when she has new work available or when she’s participating in an exhibition. Her approach to social media mirrors her approach to pottery: intentional, unhurried, and authentic.
She occasionally shows work at local art fairs and craft markets. These events give buyers a chance to see pieces in person, ask questions, and understand the time and skill behind each item. She prefers these face-to-face interactions over online sales, though her studio site does offer a way for people to inquire about available work.
For those interested in learning more about her process, she’s participated in a few ceramics workshops and talks. She shares techniques and philosophy without claiming to be a guru or master. She positions herself as a working artist who’s still learning, still experimenting, and still finding new things to explore in clay.
Why People Care: Legacy and Influence
Johanna Chase represents something increasingly rare: an artist who builds a quiet, steady practice without chasing trends or viral moments. Her work reminds people that beautiful, useful objects come from time, skill, and care. In a culture obsessed with speed and scale, her pottery stands as a counterpoint.
Her influence extends beyond her pieces. She raised a son who became a prominent voice for social justice, and she did so while maintaining her own creative identity. That balance — between supporting family and honoring personal work — resonates with people trying to do the same in their own lives.
Her story also challenges narrow ideas about who gets recognized as an artist. She didn’t need gallery representation or museum shows to validate her work. She built a practice on her own terms, created pieces people love to use, and raised a family while doing it. That’s a legacy worth noticing.
Name Confusion Clarified
Searches for “Johanna Chase” sometimes pull up results for a musician and singer-songwriter with the same name. The musician performs indie and folk-influenced music and has her own following. The two women work in completely different fields.
If you’re looking for the potter and Jesse Williams’s mother, check for references to ceramics, studio work, or family connections to the actor. If the search results mention music, performances, or albums, you’ve found the other Johanna Chase. Both deserve recognition in their own right, but they’re not the same person.
If You Want to Learn More
To see Johanna Chase’s pottery, visit her studio site, J.Chase Ceramics. The site features current work, contact information, and updates on exhibitions or available pieces. Her Instagram account offers a more casual look at her process and finished work.
If you’re interested in her son’s perspective on family and upbringing, interviews with Jesse Williams often touch on his mother’s influence. He’s spoken about her in conversations about art, activism, and what shaped his worldview.
For those curious about ceramics in general, Chase’s work fits within a broader movement of contemporary functional pottery — artists who honor traditional techniques while making pieces that feel relevant to modern life. She’s part of a community that values handmade objects and the stories they carry.
