Camille VandenBerge’s sculptures seem to step from a story in progress. Elongated figures tilt their heads, lift an arm or lean toward an unseen companion. They are human yet otherworldly, poised between motion and stillness, imagination and memory. Listen close. Their presence begins to speak.
“Words are not my medium,” VandenBerge says. “Clay is and paint is.”
That instinctive clarity guides her life’s work. VandenBerge grew up in a household where art was a daily language, not an extracurricular activity. She’s the daughter of ceramic sculptor Peter VandenBerge, a respected figure in Sacramento’s nationally influential clay community.
Artists in Northern California—the UC Davis ceramics program in particular—helped shape the course of figurative ceramic sculpture. Clay came to mean tradition and possibility.
Peter VandenBerge recalls his daughter drawing representational images before she was 2. Her creativity arrived early and never left.
Camille’s work doesn’t imitate earlier generations. Where funk-era ceramic artists embraced exaggeration and satire, her figures are quieter and more contemplative. They suggest emotion rather than story. A shift of posture becomes the narrative. A mask, a shell, a gesture hint at identity without explaining it.
“I’m interested in what isn’t said,” she says. “The moment before something happens.”
Working primarily in clay, she often incorporates steel armatures or natural materials such as shells. The contrast is deliberate. Clay carries fragility. Steel suggests endurance. Together they create tensions that echo the human condition.
Surfaces remain textured, preserving the imprint of the artist’s hand. Rather than smooth away evidence of process, she allows it to remain visible. The result is work that feels intimate and immediate, as if the figure is always emerging.
For VandenBerge, the act of sculpting is less about planning and more about entering what she calls “peace space.”
“It’s a bit like working while napping,” she says. “My consciousness is sleeping while my body is sculpting.”
Although her studio practice is deeply personal, her reach extends beyond Sacramento. Her sculptures appear in museum and private collections around the world. Locally, her public installation Sisters and Masks is one of her most recognizable works, exploring the shifting identities people present to the world.
Her pieces are an annual highlight of the Crocker Art Museum’s auction, where they attract strong attention and top dollars.
Despite success, VandenBerge’s relationship with exhibitions is complex. For years she stepped back from shows because of anxiety over public receptions. She relied on something simpler, making the work and trusting it to find an audience.
Spiritual connections serve her well. Her solo exhibition at the PBS KVIE Gallery, May 7 through July 7, came about through a serendipitous coincidence.
A eucalyptus branch fell next to her studio in Sierra Oaks Vista and blocked the street. A neighbor stopped by to check out the commotion and introduced herself. The neighbor—Nancy Brodovsky—is a KVIE board member.
VandenBerge explained she was looking for a venue for her work and to celebrate her dad’s life. Brodovsky liked the idea. She scheduled VandenBerge’s KVIE show and arranged for Peter to be featured on a TV program called “Rob on the Road” with Rob Stewart.
“By the grace of God, I’m able to make a living,” Camille says. “I pray and the phone rings.”
In a region known for its clay tradition, Camille VandenBerge represents continuity and evolution. Her work honors Sacramento’s artistic past in new, subtle and deeply personal ways.
Camille VandenBerge’s show is at PBS KVIE Gallery, 2030 W. El Camino Ave. For information, visit kvie.org/gallery.
Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. Jessica Laskey contributed to this story. Follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
