Gwen Heffner

Gwen Heffner is known for wheel-thrown and altered porcelain that is finished with an overall glaze color. Some of her pieces are cast, others feature low relief imagery that references her training ...
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    Biography

    Gwen Heffner is known for wheel-thrown and altered porcelain that is finished with an overall glaze color. Some of her pieces are cast, others feature low relief imagery that references her training as an engraver.

    Her work is influenced by the Asian ceramics tradition. Heffner studied printmaking and ceramics at Luther College before entering graduate school at the University of Louisville, where she studied ceramics with Tom Marsh.

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    Apprenticeships & Residencies
    Primary Work Experience

    Studio Potter

    1983

    Art Consultant

    1992
    -
    2003

    Owner, Contemporary Artifacts Gallery, Berea, Kentucky

    1998

    Independent Curator

    2003

    Information Specialist-Curator, Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, Berea, Kentucky

    Other

    Public Collections

    Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Alfred University, Alfred, New York

    American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California

    Appalachian Regional Commission Offices, Washington, DC

    Ceramics Monthly Permanent Collection, Westerville, Ohio

    Luther College, Decorah, Iowa

    Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, Ohio

    Southern Highland Craft Guild, Asheville, North Carolina

    University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky

    Bibliography

    “Beyond Southern Belles.” American Style (2001).

    “Blue Ribbon Crafts in Bluegrass Country.” American Style (1998).

    Feature on Kentucky potters, Studio Potter (July 1987).

    Fina, Angela and Jonathan Fairbanks. The Best of Pottery. Rockport, MA: Quarry Books, 1996.

    Gustin, Chris and Jonathan Fairbanks. The Contemporary Potter: A Collection of the Best Original Work in Earthenware, Porcelain, and Stoneware. Rockport Publishers, 2000.

    “Gwen Heffner.” American Craft (1999).

    “Gwen Heffner-Retrospective Review Ceramics Monthly (1998).

    “Gwen Heffner.” Ceramics Monthly (1995).

    “Gwen Heffner-Gallery Review.” American Craft (1995).

    “Gwen Heffner’s Porcelain.” Ceramics Monthly (1995).

    “Gwen Heffner: New Works.” American Craft (1994).

    Hluch, Kevin A. The Art of American Contemporary Pottery. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. 2000.

    Hopper, Robin. The Ceramic Spectrum. Radnor, PA: Chilton Book Co. 2008.

    ___________. Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose. Radnor, PA: Chilton Book co. 2000.

    Hunt, Bill. 21st Century Ceramics in the United States & Canada. Westerville, OH: The American Ceramic Society, 2003.

    Lane, Peter. Contemporary Porcelain. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1995.

    “Wood and Salt Fired Ceramics.” Ceramics Monthly (2001).

    CV or Resume

    Website(s)
    Tags (related topics)

    Southern Highland Craft Guild

    Center for Craft

    American Ceramic Society

    Tom Marsh

    Luther College

    University of Louisville

    CfC

    ACerS

    American Museum of Ceramic Art

    AMOCA

    Citation: Gwen Heffner, "The Marks Project."
    Last modified April 29, 2026. https://www.themarksproject.org/artists/gwen-heffner

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