Potter Workshops 2003

LINDA HUEY BRINGS LOVE OF TEACHING TO POTTERY WORKSHOPS AT THE ROCKWELL MUSEUM OF WESTERN ART

March 13, 2003

"I love bowls," says Master Ceramicist Linda Huey. "There's nothing as universal as a bowl. From the beginning of time, it's been one of the most basic objects." Huey will bring her love of all forms of pottery to the Rockwell Museum later this month when she presents a "(More Than) Salsa Bowl Workshop" on March 26 and April 2.

Huey is a studio artist who maintains homes and studio space in Alfred Station and Boston. "It was my dream to live in the country and the city," says Huey, who earned a Master's in Ceramic Art from Alfred University in 1993. "My work is definitely inspired by nature, which is why I love it in Alfred. I want to live surrounded by woods and fields." At the same time, Huey cares deeply about the artists' community she worked to develop in Boston 20 years ago. Consequently, she maintains strong ties to both locations, teaching, working and exhibiting in her two homes.

Huey is a self-described generalist in ceramics. "I've done all kinds of things in clay, from beads and jewelry to large sculptures. My pottery is both wheel-thrown and hand-built. It's functional and sculptural. I've used different types of clay, from low fire terra cotta to high fire stoneware. The whole gamut!" The venues in which Huey has sold her work are just as varied. "I've done production items for a large public, and high-end sculpture for a smaller collector's market."

Still, the constant throughout Huey's career is her love of teaching. "I love seeing someone excited about what they're doing. That first enthusiasm." She's been gratified to find it in Alfred, where she developed a ceramics education program for the public, housed in the Ceramics Corridor. "Lots of people fell in love with clay as a result. It was a great response." As the Ceramics Corridor evolved into a more high-tech area, the studio space was difficult to maintain, however. Today, Huey teaches from her studio in Boston. She has also taught classes at the Ceramics Studio at Harvard University.

Huey also enjoys teaching at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art. She finds the same sense of community in Corning and around the Rockwell that she experienced in Alfred. "The museum is a wonderful community-based amenity that really contributes to the culture of the town. Teaching and doing ceramics is an important part of that."

Through her workshops at the Rockwell, Huey strives to present an experience that's both fun and satisfying. Her workshops are introductory in focus, but offer challenges for non-beginners as well. "There's always a new project or a new technique you haven't tried before," she says. "You can always take what you know a step farther."

Huey's approach to teaching ceramics is to present a variety of quick ideas and allow people to respond as they wish: quickly or slowly, with a masterpiece or lots of experimental work. "That's the beauty of clay," she says. "It's what people love. Seeing it respond to your fingertips. It's a quiet, calm medium that responds very directly to the artist."

For more information on Huey's upcoming "(More Than) A Salsa Bowl Workshop," contact Deb Baldwin at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art by calling (607) 974-2333, or emailing baldwind@rockwellmuseum.org