Leah Hardy

American

Stripey Pot Series
1996

Earthenware
7.25 x 5.25 x 3.5 in.
Gift of the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation
1998.34

Leah Hardy’s conceptual and aesthetic impetus derives from her interest in ritual objects, shrines, and talismans at the intersection of the sacred and the secular. From the late 1980s into the 1990s, she created teapots alongside her sculptural pieces, enjoying the shared visual language and the cultural dialogue between the two modes. Her ceramic work often suggests architectural possibilities, as seen in Stripey Pot, which resembles a silo. Her functional ceramics frequently illustrate a personal anthropomorphic iconography referring to parts of the body, such as shoulders, head, and feet incorporated into the teapot form.

Born in Kansas City, Hardy studied ceramics at the University of Kansas, where she was awarded her BFA in 1987. Her last year of undergraduate studies was at the Howard Gardens Art School in Cardiff, South Wales, as part of a study-abroad program. In 1990 she received her MFA in ceramics from Indiana University. Hardy has taught at the University of Wyoming in Laramie since 2001, and has been a professor in the metalsmithing program since 2014. Since 2000 she has focused on intimately scaled mixed-media metal insects rendered in vivid naturalistic detail, layered with rich social and political content. These have been exhibited nationally and internationally, acknowledged with numerous awards, presented at international workshops, and featured in books and articles.

Billie Sessions

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This object has the following keywords:

• green
• purple

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

• Ceramic Case 11: Women, White, and Porcelain (Left and Right Sides) , 8/21/2012 - 5/8/2014
• Unearthed , 8/23/2022 - 5/14/2023

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