Donna Polseno was born in Connecticut, where she grew up fascinated by her father's work as a painter and illustrator. When she went off to The Kansas City Art Institute it was to become a painter like him, until the chance exposure to ceramics lead her into the pottery shop where Ken Ferguson and Victor Babu were teaching. The great creativity, passion and energy of that place and time lead to a lifetime commitment to clay.
Rhode Island School of Design - MAT - 1974
Kansas City Art Institute - BFA - 1972
National Endowment of the Arts Visual Arts Fellowship - 1986
Virginia Museum Artists Fellowship - 1984
National Endowment of the Arts Craftsman Fellowship - 1978
Appalachian Center of Crafts - Smithville, TN 2008
La Meridiana School of Ceramics - Certaldo, Italy Summer 2007, 2008, 2009
Anderson Ranch Art Center, Snowmass, CO - Summer 2006
Penland School of Crafts, North Carolina - June/July-2005
Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, China - in conjunction with University of West Virginia - Fall 2004
Hollins University, Roanoke, VA - part time faculty beginning 2004
Long Beach Island Foundation, New Jersey - Summer 2003
Portland School of Art, Oregon - Summer 1987
Brookline College, Texas - Summer 1986
Rochester Institute of Technology - Summer 1985
Memphis Academy of Art - Winter Session 1984
Ohio State University - Summer 1983
Arrowmont School of Crafts, Tennessee - Spring 1982
University of Michigan - Summer 1981
Alfred University, New York - Summer 1977
American Museum of Ceramic Art - Pomona, CA
Joan Mannheimer Collection - Iowa
Federal Reserve Bank - Virginia
R.J.Reynolds Co. - North Carolina
St.Louis Museum of Art - Missouri
Kansas City Art Institute - Missouri
Silber Collection - California
Allen Chasanoff Collection - Mint Museum, NC
Roanoke College - Virginia
Art Museum of Western Virginia - Virginia
Mint Museum of Contemporary Crafts - Chalotte, NC
"Potter's Space & the Earthbound Goddess" by Wayne Higby, Ceramics Art and Perception, issue 66
"Concreta" Sculture Ceramiche, 2008 catalogue-essay by Franco Bertoni-curator, International Museum of Ceramics, Florence, Italy
Ceramics Monthly - Pots with a View - March 2005
Clay Times -”16 Hands Studio Tour”- Sept/Oct. 2003
21st Century Ceramics in the United States & Canada - The American Ceramics Society - 2003
Ceramics Monthly - -”Crafts in the Castle” -
March 2002
The Art of American Contemporary Pottery - Kevin
Hluch - Krause Publications - 2001
Mold Making & Slip Casting - Andrew Martin-Magus Art Publications - 2000
Art and Perception #37 - ”The Container as Metaphor-Figurative Work by Donna Polseno”- Fall 1999
Ceramics Monthly - “Four Virginia Potters” - Dec. 1999
Clay Times - “Four Potters of Floyd County, Virginia” - July 1999
Sculptural Ceramics - Ian Gregory - A&C Black Ltd - Cover Photo - 1999
Clay Times - “Go Figure”- May 1997
Ceramics Monthly-Cover Story-"Accepting Change”- March 1990
Sculptural Ceramics - Chilton Book Company-Back Cover Photo-1988
Ceramics Monthly - "Art,Money,and the NEA" - Feb.1987
American Craft - “NEA Visual Artists Fellowships” - Jan.1987
The Robb Report - "Ceramic Art-It's on Fire" - March 1986
Studio Potter - Vol.13,No.2 - "Potters of the Blue Ridge" - 1985
Clay Revisions - 1984
NCECA Journal Vol.4 - "Spotlight" - 1983
American Ceramics Vol 2,No.1 - Review - 1983
Ceramics Monthly - 1983
American Crafts - Katherine Pearson-Stuart,Tabori,Chang Publishers - 1983
Low Fire Ceramics - Susan Wechsler- Watson&Guptil Publishers -1981
New York Times - Show Review - 1978 and 1982
Craft Horizons - 1977
Ceramics Monthly - “Studio Potters”- 1976
"Potter Sculptor/Sculptor Potter" panelist, NCECA, Phoenix,AZ 2009
Invited Participant - International Ceramics Symposium - Dokuz Eylul Univ.-Izmir, Turkey-2002
Honorary Chairman - Kansas City Art Institute Scholarship Auction - 2001
Panelist - NCECA -Columbus-1999
Juror - ACC Craft Fairs -1996 and 1999
Juror - Richmond Craft Fair - Virginia -1990
Juror - National Clay Biennial- Radrord University - 1989
Artist in Residence - Archie Bray Foundation -1984
Board of Trustees - Piedmont Craftsmen - 1981-1984
Juror - Biennial Craft Exhibition-Washington,D.C. - 1984
Presenter - NCECA Atlanta - 1983
Panelist-High Museum - "Regionalism & Contemporary Crafts" - 1982
"Solo Exhibition of Pottery"
Plinth Gallery
3520 Brighton Blvd
Denver CO 80216
November 5 - December 5 2010
"Solo Exhibition of Figurative Sculpture"
Blue Spiral 1 Gallery
38 Biltmore Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
Solo Exhibition of Figurative Sculpture
September 30 - December 31 2010
"Reverences" Taubman Museum, Virginia 2009
"Potter Sculptor/Sculptor Potter" NCECA exhibition, Phoenix,AZ 2009
" Concreta-Sculpture
Ceramiche"
Six artists: Lee Babel, Aldo Rontini, Donna Polseno, Lisa Nocentini, Ingrid Mair
Zischg, Betty Woodman.
Palazzo Pretorio
Certaldo, Italy 2008
"Influencial Journeys" Univ. of W.VA China Program, NCECA Louiville,KY 2007
Mid-Career Survey: Potter's Space and the Earthbound Goddess - Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, Hollins University, Roanoke VA June-July 2006
Former Bray Residents - Turman Gallery, Helena, MT Archie Bray International- June 2006
Poetry of Pottery - Maryland Federation for the Arts, NCECA, March 2005
Kentucky Museum of Art and Design - “The Splendid Table” - Louisville, KY - 2004
“21st Century Ceramics” - Canzani Center Gallery at CCAD - Columbus,Ohio - 2003
“Releasing the Mold” - Tower Fine Arts gallery at SUNY Brockport,NY - 2003
“Functional Ceramics” - Wooster ,Ohio - 2003
“Amerika Topragindan” - 5 Ceramic Artists - Adnan Franko Sanat Galerisi - Izmir, Turkey - 2002
“The Shape of Color” - Montgomery College Art Gallery - Multi Media Group Show - Md. - 2002
Morgan Gallery - “Friends and Collegues: Victor Babu and Students” - KCMO - 2002
Peck Gallery - 2 Person Show - Providence,RI - 2001
Anderson County Art Center, SC - “Go Figure” - 3 Person Show - 2001
William King Art Center - “Community in Clay” - Abington,VA - 2000
Art Museum of Western Virginia - “Community in Clay” - Roanoke, VA - 1999
Kennedy Museum of Art - “Clay Becomes the Figure” - Ohio University - 1999
Gallery 10 Ltd. - Wash.D.C. - Recent Sculpture - 2 person - 1997
Figurative Ceramic Sculpture Invitational - Montgomery College-Md. - 1997
Survey of Contemporary Ceramics - Tustin Gallery - Ca. - 1996
Virginia Clay Invitational - Longwood Center for the Arts - 1996
“Independant Makers” - Ohio University Seigfred Gallery - 1996
Twist Gallery - Portland,Oregon - Ceramic Sculpture - 1 person - 1994
Exhibits USA - “Built, Thrown, Touched” - Nationally Touring Survey of Ceramics - 1993-1994
American Hand - Recent Work - 1 person -Washington -1993
“Art/Heart of the Figure” - Twist Gallery - Portland, Oregon - 1992
Javier Puig Gallery - Recent Sculpture - 1 person - Minneapolis - 1991
California Museum of Art - “The Winged Gate” - Santa Rosa, Ca. - 1990
The Handcrafters Gallery -Sante Fe , New Mexico - 1 person - 1990
Martha Schneider Gallery - Chicago,Illinois - 1 Person - 1988
Seattle Art Museum & Renwick Gallery - “Clay Revision:
Plate,Cup,Vase” - 1987-88
Ree Schonlau Gallery - Omaha,Nebraska - 1 Person
-1985
“Raku and Smoke” - American Museum of Contemporary Crafts - 1984
Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art-Invitational - 1984
Kansas City Art Institute Alumni Show - 1983
Martha Schneider Gallery - Chicago,Ilinois - 2 Person - 1983
“By Design” - Minneapolis,Minn. - 1 Person - 1983
The Elements Gallery - NYC - 1 Person - 1983
American Hand - Washington,D.C. -2 Person - 1982
“The Basket” - John Kohler Art Center - Wisconsin - 1981
“12 Plus 1” - Ken Ferguson - Surroundings Gallery - NYC - 1981
“Living From Clay” - Berea College - Kentucky - 1980
Detroit Gallery of Contemporary Crafts - 2 Person - 1979
“Biennial of Piedmont Crafts” - Mint Museum,N.C. - 1978
The Elements Gallery - NYC - 1 Person - 1978
“Eight Independant Production Potters” - KC Art Institute - 1976
“Marietta Crafts National” - Judges Award, OH - 1976
“Young Americans Clay/Glass” - Museum of Contemporary Crafts - 1976
“ACC Craft Work” - Miami - 1976
Kingston Potters Guild - Kingston Ontario, Canada 2008
City of Orlando Pottery - Orlando FL 2007
Miami Potters League - Miami 2006
Montana State University - Bozeman - Spring 2005
Craft Alliance -St. Louis-2002
Forest Park Community College - St. Louis-2002
East Tennesee State University - Tennesee - 2001
William and Mary College - Virginia - 1997
Virginia Clay Conference - Front Royal, Virginia - 1997
Odyssey Center for the Arts-Asheville - North Carolina - 1997
Oregon School of Art and Craft-Portland - Oregon - 1994
Indiana University - Bloomington,Indiana - 1993
Ohio Designer Craftsman - Columbus, Ohio - 1990
New Mexico State University - Las Cruces - 1988
Southwest Craft Center - San Antonio, Texas - 1986
Edinburgh School of Art - Scotland - 1984
American Contemporary Crafts Museum - New York City - 1984
Banff Center - Alberta, Canada - 1984
Penland School of Crafts - North Carolina - 1983
Georgia State University - Georgia - 1982
Rhode Island School of Design - Rhode Island - 1981
Kansas City Art Institute - Kansas City, Missouri -1981
Arrowmont School of Crafts - Tennessee - 1980
Berea College - Kentucky - 1980
Cranbrook Academy of Art - Michigan - 1979
University of Georgia - 1976