Katherine Choy (1927–1958) was an American artist, known for her work with ceramics and pottery.

Biography

She was born into an affluent family in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

in 1927, and raised in Shanghai. In 1946, Choy went to study in the United States, first at

Wesleyan College Wesleyan College is a Private university, private, Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's Colleges in the Southern United States, women's college in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1836, Wesleyan was the fi ...

in Macon, Georgia. In 1948, she transferred to

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...

to be near family in California, earning her bachelor's degree in 1950 and a master's degree in 1951. In 1952, she became the head of the ceramics department at the

Newcomb College H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College was the coordinate women's college of Tulane University, located in New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded by Josephine Louise Newcomb in 1886 in memory of her daughter. Newcomb was the ...

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

in New Orleans. In 1957, she started the Clay Art Center in Port Chester, NY. Choy died of pneumonia at the age of 29. Her ceramics were traditionally thrown on the wheel but she experimented with bold patterns and a unique palette. Her early pots were inspired by Asian clay traditions; but she eventually moved towards more innovative and modern techniques, setting her apart from her peers. Choy's work is in the collection of the

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum at the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile. It is one of 19 Smithsonian Institution museums and one of three Smithsonian facil ...

, and the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

Exhibits

In 1953, Choy had a solo exhibit at the

New Orleans Museum of Art The New Orleans Museum of Art (or NOMA) is the oldest art museum, fine arts museum in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, New Orleans. It is situated within City Park (New Orleans), City Park, a short distance from the intersection of Carrollton ...

(NOMA; formerly known as the Delgado Museum) titled ''Ceramics by Katherine Choy,'' and had her work featured in the ''Designer Craftsmen U.S.A. 1953'' exhibition, organized by the

American Craft Council The American Craft Council (ACC) is a national non-profit organization that champions craft based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb, the council hosts national craft shows and conferences, publishes a quarterly m ...

. She has also had her works shown at institutions including the

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

, the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

, and The

San Francisco Museum of Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum and nonprofit organization located in San Francisco, California. SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art, and has b ...

. In 2022, Choy had her first exhibit at the NOMA, titled "Katherine Choy: Radical Potter in 1950s New Orleans." This exhibit was her first since her friends held The Katherine Choy Memorial Show at the Orleans Gallery in 1959, the year after her death.

References

External links

Katherine Choy
on the Mark's Project 1927 births 1957 deaths Mills College alumni Tulane University faculty Wesleyan College alumni 20th-century American ceramists American women ceramists American potters Hong Kong women artists Hong Kong emigrants to the United States Artists from Shanghai People from Port Chester, New York 20th-century Chinese women artists 20th-century Chinese artists Chinese women ceramists Chinese ceramists {{Ceramics-stub