About (bio)

An artist living and working in the greater Cincinnati area, Matthew Litteken earned his BFA from Miami University (of Ohio) in 1995 with concentrations in both painting and ceramics.  He went on to complete his MFA with distinctions from the University of Cincinnati at the School of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning in 2004, with an emphasis in two-dimensional studies. He predominately works in the mediums of painting and drawing, but maintains an increasingly diverse practice that includes printmaking, collage, and wall/floor installations.

Between his undergraduate and graduate work, Matthew maintained his studio practice and exhibition record while working as a ceramist at the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works, a historic Arts & Crafts Museum located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. His job involved all aspects of making tiles, mosaics, and art pottery in the Arts & Crafts tradition, as established in 1898 by the founder, Henry Chapman Mercer.

For the past 20 years, he has taught drawing, painting, 2D design, graphic design, and color theory, where he emphasizes ways of seeing and interpreting the world around us.  In addition, Matthew has coupled his artistic career with his commitment to art education by volunteering as an instructor for various workshops at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA, serving as a co-juror for the non-profit Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, as well as being invited as a Visiting Artist to a variety of universities and other non-profit galleries across the United States. He has maintained an active exhibition record of his own work, featured in over 20 solo and 80 group shows. His work is in private collections across the United States.

Having been rooted in pedagogical missions and richly steeped in the commercial and non-profit gallery life, Matthew also explored a different branch of the aesthetic tree: the retail side of the art market. In 2017 he opened The Ampersand Gallery, an artisanal gallery specializing in hand-crafted works of art, jewelry, functional pottery, and fine home decor. Located in historic Bellevue, Kentucky (across the river from Cincinnati), the gallery reached customers from the tri-state area and beyond. The next year, he moved the gallery location down a block and expanded the offerings to include stylish home goods, antiques, up-cycled & repurposed objects, and books & prints of local interest, along with the new name: Ampersand Home & Gallery. Matthew was the sole owner and operator until its closure in 2024.

Matthew currently works as a part-time Instructor and Evening Campus Manager for the non-profit Baker Hunt Arts & Cultural Center in Covington, Kentucky, and teaches as an Adjunct Professor for area universities. He also maintains two antique booths at Tasty Bird Vintage and Ohio Valley Antique Mall in the Cincinnati area.

He is an avid collector of art/objects that tell a narrative or share a history (“hey, it’s not hoarding if your stuff is cool”).  Not a hipster in any sense of the word, he occasionally dons a pair of Levi 511 slim-cut jeans while out antiquing for the next interesting find.