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Clay, earthenware
Dimensions: 8 x 6 dia.
Purchased through a National Endowment for the Arts grant, 1974

The Artwork

This sculpture was created using both wheel-thrown and hand-building clay techniques. The globular flower, its stem, and its green base were formed on a potter's wheel. Though the shape itself is inverted from a typical bowl form, the process is similar. The artist then applied hand-building techniques to provide the flowering shape at the circumference of the pink and purple flower. This combination of techniques along with the bright colors of the sculpture result in a striking sculpture that is not immediately reminiscent of wheel-thrown pottery.

The Artist

Marcia Manhart studied at Wichita State University and the University of Arizona. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the University of Tulsa. Between 1966 and 1974 she earned many awards for her ceramic works showing in prestigious shows across Oklahoma, the southwest, and New York at the American Craft Museum. For three decades, Manhart served as executive director of the Philbrook Museum of Art. In 1987, she edited the catalogue "The Eloquent Object: The Evolution of American Art in Craft Media Since 1945," which was published by Philbrook.