Minnesota

Biography / Statement

Ursula Hargens is a studio potter in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She received a MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2003 and an MA in Art & Art Education from Columbia University, Teachers College in 1999. Ursula also studied ceramics at Nova Scotia College of Art & Design. In addition to working as a potter, Ursula currently teaches at the Northern Clay Center and is a Lecturer at the University of Minnesota. Ursula has exhibited throughout the U.S. and was awarded a Jerome Ceramic Project Grant in 2006.

She writes about her work,

"My pieces are colorful and decidedly decorative. I use flowers to create a decorative language that is active, edgy and assertive. The flower which is often seen as domestic, common and known becomes animated, vivid and new. This body work, meant for the table, acknowledges earthenware as a material steeped in folk traditions. Simple motifs unfold to create layers of color, pattern and image, resulting in rich decorative surfaces."