Frances Senska

American
(1914–2009)

Jar
1988

Stoneware
7.8 x 5.625 in. (19.812 x 14.288 cm)
Gift of the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation
1988.86

Frances Senska’s Jar exhibits the core principle she endeavored to pass on to her students: ensuring that personal expression is carried through every part of the production process. Not originally trained as a potter, Senska used her schooling in lithography (BA, 1935) and applied design (MFA, 1939) from the University of Iowa in this piece, which reflects a fondness for functionality and a concern with the natural environment. Senska has incised the surface with leaf patterns and other natural motifs, creating a simple yet engaging surface design. The triple handle atop the lid lends a playful delicacy to its functionality.

Born to Presbyterian missionary parents in Cameroon, Frances Senska harbored a deep appreciation for the earth, local materials, and being surrounded by nature from her memories of Africa. Upon the outbreak of World War Two, she trained as a pilot. Following the war, she took ceramics courses from Edith Heath and Maija Grotell, and went on to found the ceramics program at Montana State University in Bozeman in 1946. Senska emphasized learning through doing and encouraged her students to express their own personal vision through clay. Among her students were Peter Voulkos and Rudy Autio. She was influential in the founding and development of the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana.

Matthew Limb

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This object was included in the following exhibitions:

• Black Mountain College: Shaping Craft + Design , 8/25/2014 - 2/28/2015
• Lighting the Fire: Ceramics Education in the American West , 8/16/2016 - 12/10/2016
• Unearthed , 8/23/2022 - 5/14/2023

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