Ursula HargensMinneapolis, Minnesota

Biography

Ursula Hargens is a ceramic artist based in Minneapolis. She received an MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and an MA in Art & Art Education from Columbia University, Teachers College. She is a three-time McKnight Artist Fellow, has received multiple awards from the Jerome Foundation and the Minnesota State Arts Board, and was named 2020 Ceramic Artist of the Year by Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated. Ursula is co-founder of Minnesota New Institute for Ceramic Education (MN NICE), an advanced certificate program in ceramics, which she developed in 2014 in partnership with Northern Clay Center.


Statement

I use red earthenware clay—a material steeped in folk tradition. Surfaces are brushed with creamy white slip and decorated with touches of color. Simple elements—dots and lines—create playful patterns that wrap around my forms. I make and compose these marks, channeling the quiet of early morning or the spirit of a favorite historical pot. I hope my pots will be welcomed into homes and slide into daily use, forming a collaboration between maker and user.