Kate Missett

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Kate Missett grew up in south Florida; tropical imagery is frequently reflected in her ceramic work.   She went to college in New Orleans where she discovered clay in her senior year of a Journalism major.  Upon graduation she immediately set up her own studio and has been working in clay ever since. She moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1982 to attend graduate school at Pratt Institute and still maintains a studio there. 

She teaches all aspects of studio ceramics as well as ceramic history at Greenwich House Pottery and City University, as well as serving as director of the Artworks program of the West Side YMCA.   While in graduate school she worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, developing a scholarly knowledge of and fascination with ceramic cultures of the past.  This interest, as well as extensive travels in Europe, the Caribbean, and India have led to the development of her current body of work, a series of large canopic jars made with a variety of clays and firing techniques, that explore aspects of our relationships to nature.

Kate's Creative Drive :
"An underlying theme for all of my work is the unexpected moment, when we as humans are suddenly confronted by the profound magic of nature that seems just beyond our ability to grasp."

Thoughts on process :
"Each of my canopic jars has its own unique story, firing process and historical reference."

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