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In 2024, I celebrate my 51st anniversary of learning how to make pots. My teacher was Frances Hamilton, a graduate of the Boston Museum School, studio potter in Massachusetts since the mid-sixties, and instructor at DeCordova Museum School in Lincoln, which is where I took instruction from her.

My work in the field has been periodic (2 separate studios in 2 different states, not including the studios I borrowed time in at St John’s and Powderhorn Park) until 2005 when I built my 3rd studio, in the basement, of course, and helped to start the Empty Bowls Project in Powderhorn, my south Minneapolis neighborhood. I needed a reason to make pots again, earnestly and consistently, and Empty Bowls gave me that reason!

In 2015 I moved to north Minneapolis and built my 4th studio, now finally at ground level, in what most people would call the detached garage — naming it the Ladyhawke Pottery, after the lady hawk who welcomed me to my new home.

In 2021, after retirement, I moved north of the Twin Cities, and am now located in Elbow Lake where I have built my 5th studio! I’m excited — haven’t made pots in a couple of years. I’ll continue my work with Empty Bowls — Fergus Falls has one, and I’m hoping to begin to do something concrete with “K to College.” This is basically an Empty Bowls’ event in a college setting that supports the college food shelf and is organized through a class that teaches the students how to make pots and also engages them to address the long term solutions to hunger in our society.

Just as exciting — I’m looking into doing some work with lustre. Wish me luck!

• Empty Bowls •

Since the beginning of my work with Empty Bowls I have devoted myself to connecting people in the community through art to do social justice – helping to start several other Empty Bowls’ events in the Twin Cities and focusing my own studio work on bowls (of course!), memorial and honorific platters, and cremation urns.

• K to College •

In 2017 I read an article in a University alumni magazine about a School of Public Health graduate student, Rebecca Leighton, who had learned that a little over 27% of the students at the U of MN Twin Cities campus were either hungry (10.2%), or were worried that they’d run out of food before having enough money to buy more (17.5%). It came from the 2015 student health survey.* When Rebecca read the survey, she immediately set about getting money from the student council to buy vegetables — to give away. When she graduated shortly afterwards, Boynton Health Center hired her and gave her a budget to create and run a campus food shelf.

• Inscriptions •

The signature aspect of my work is the inscriptions I write in my pots. I incise the words into the clay. As I mention in my Artist Statement, I was never much good with a brush.

• Gallery •

My work focuses on three basic pots — bowls, cremation urns, and platters.

My bowls are always inscribed — either with my own sayings or ones you request.

The cremation urns and platters are generally only inscribed on request.

• Artist’s Statement •

I want to remember and celebrate those without whom my life would not be what it is…I am now and always will be grateful…

To Frances, whose love and help made me who I am.

To Gerry and Julie Williams, who gave me their love and brought me into a world of pottery that I had no idea about.

To Lisa Blackburn and John Hartom, whose Empty Bowls Project gave me a reason to make pots again, and more!

To Michael O’Connell, whose example in starting the Jeremiah Project gave me the confidence to start my own work — with Empty Bowls.

To Brother Dietrich Reinhart, who helped me down the path of understanding the significance of the Benedictine thread in my life — and in my pottery.

To the young mother from St Paul, who helped me to understand what my pottery could mean to someone else, and me.

To the women of Sarah’s, who helped me to understand even more fully…

And finally, to my girls — Kara and Chastity, who make me happy, every day.