Sorcha Boru was the studio name of Claire Everett Stewart ( Jones; April 13, 1900 – January 30, 2006), a potter and ceramic sculptor. Most of her works include small items such as figurines, vases, planters, and salt and pepper shakers, mostly done in the art deco style. One of her pieces includes an "Alice in Wonderland" chess set (1932). Stewart was born in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and graduated from the Girls High School in San Francisco in 1919. She received a bachelor's degree in English from the

University of California Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley ...

in 1924. In 1926, she married Ellsworth R. Stewart (1897 – 1971) whom she met while they were students at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. From c. 1932-39, Stewart had a studio at the Allied Arts Guild in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park ( ) is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, California, Eas ...

. From about 1940 to the mid-1950s, she had a studio at 430 El Camino Real in

San Carlos, California San Carlos (Spanish language, Spanish for "St. Charles") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population is 30,722 per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Native Americans Prior to the Spain, Spanis ...

with a production factory nearby in San Carlos, operated by her husband who made pieces using molds. Her work has been exhibited at the

Whitney Museum The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

of American Art (1937), the

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern art, 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 ...

(1935), the

Golden Gate International Exposition The Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) was a World's Fair held at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California, U.S. The exposition operated from February 18, 1939, through October 29, 1939, and from May 25, 1940, through September 29, ...

(1939), the

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

(New York) Museum of Fine Arts, now the

Everson Museum of Art The Everson Museum of Art ( ) in Downtown Syracuse, New York, is a major Central New York museum focusing on American art. History The museum was founded in 1897 by art historian George Fisk Comfort (who also helped found the Metropolitan Museu ...

(1936) and

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Museum of Art in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

. Stewart's works are held at the Everson Museum of Art, the

Oakland Museum Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

and at the Museum of History in

. She died in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

at the age of 105.

Sources

*''The Potter's Art in California, 1885 to 1955'' (1980), Hazel V. Bray *''Carlmont Enquirer-Bulletin'', 21 July 1982, Russel Estep (article) *''Who's Who in American Art'', 1985 (revised edition), Peter Hastings Falk *''Artists in California, 1786 - 1940'', 2002, Eden Milton Hughes
Museum of San Carlos History, San Carlos, California (exhibit)
*''The New York Times'', April 15, 1990, Harold C. Schonberg (antiques article) {{DEFAULTSORT:Boru, Sorcha 1900 births 2006 deaths American women centenarians American potters People from Menlo Park, California Artists from the San Francisco Bay Area UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni Women potters 20th-century American ceramists American women ceramists 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women