Colby Charpentier (b.1991, Providence, Rhode Island) is a visual artist who reinvents traditional ceramic materials and processes into contemporary sculpture.

Charpentier received his MFA in Ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2021 and his BFA in Ceramics and Glass from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2013.

From 2013-2016, Charpentier worked as a Studio Assistant and Mold Maker for artists Daniel Clayman and Chris Gustin. In these roles, he designed mold systems for a wide variety of materials and casting techniques, prepared waxes for bronze casting, prototyped and executed large scale installations, and assisted in the production of ceramic and glass sculpture. 

His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including Fondation Bernardaud in Limoges, France; Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in Wuhan, China; American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, CA; Jingdezhen Ceramic Art Museum in Jingdezhen, China; Harvard University in Allston, MA; and Cranbrook Museum of Fine Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI. 

He has participated in residencies at Shiwan Cultural Investment Co. in Foshan, China; Interdisciplinary Ceramic Research Center at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS; Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT; American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, CA; Harvard Ceramics in Allston, MA; Goggleworks Center for the Arts in Reading, PA; The Morean Center for Clay in St. Petersburg, FL; and Sonoma Ceramics in Sonoma, CA.

Charpentier is currently based in Kansas City, MO where he shares a studio with his artist-partner and teaches in the Foundation Department at the Kansas City Artist Institute. In December 2026, he will serve as a High Level Overseas Visiting Scholar at Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in Wuhan, China, teaching and mentoring young faculty in conjunction with the Wuhan Ceramics Biennale.