Born in 1968 in San Francisco CA, the son of Basque immigrants from the South of France, Joël Urruty is an artist working in various materials, creating abstract and figurative sculptures as well as wall assemblages.


After graduating with a BS in Design from San Francisco State University, he apprenticed with Master craftsman, David Marks, before going on to earn an MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Craft. Joëlʼs sculptures have been exhibited and sold Internationally. His work can be found in the permanent collection of the Asheville Art Museum, Boston Museum of Fine Art and Honolulu Museum of Art.

Joël is based in Hickory, North Carolina. He is a father and husband and has been living in Hickory since 2007.