The Dictionary of American Ceramics, 1945 onward
Dictionary of American Ceramics, 1945 onward
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Dorothy Hafner
Born 1952 Woodbridge, Connecticut
EDUCATION
1974 BA Fine Arts, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York
APPRENTICESHIPS & RESIDENCIES
1968 Artist Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts
1984 Artist Residency, Fabric Workshop, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1977 –1978 Artist Residency, Art Park, Lewiston, New York
PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE
Ceramic Designer
Commissioned work for Tiffany & Co. and Rosenthal of Germany, and studio art
BIOGRAPHY
Dorothy Hafner is known for slip-cast porcelain dinnerware, glazed with colorful, bold graphic patterns. Although she started as a hand-builder and thrower, she began to work in slip casting in the mid-1980’s to increase production. Designs were often inspired by Japanese fabrics and ceramics, as well as living in fast-paced New York.1
Hafner trained as a painter and sculptor and eventually became a designer of dishware for major firms such as Tiffany & Co. and Rosenthal of Germany. Her “Flash” dinnerware series for Rosenthal is her most well-known design.
Hafner took a break from her production work in 1991 to travel, write, and paint, then focused on studio art and switched to working on flat glass mosaics. She owned and operated Hafner Creative Space in Norwalk, Connecticut.
1. Dexler Martha Lynn, “Clay Today: Contemporary Ceramicists and their Work,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1990.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California
Brooklyn Museum, New York City, New York
Cooper Hewitt Museum, New York City, New York
Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
Dallas Museum of Art, Texas
Denver Museum of Art, Denver, Colorado
Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York
Los Angeles County Museum, California
Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada (Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection)
Museum of Arts and Design, New York City, New York
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Berlin, Germany
Museum voor Hedendaagse Kunst, Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands
Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey
Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, Florida
Palmer Museum of Art, Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England
Yale University Art Museum, New Haven, Connecticut
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Drexler Lynn, Martha. “Clay Today: Contemporary Ceramicists and their Work.” Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1990.
Hafner, Dorothy. "Dorothy Hafner", personal website. http://www.dorothyhafner.com/index.htm
Hafner, Dorothy. “Tableware: A Ceramics Monthly Portfolio.” Ceramics Monthly, Summer 1982, pg. 49-60.
Kirkham, Pat, ed. Women Designers in the USA, 1900-2000: Diversity and Difference. United Kingdom: Yale University Press, 2000.
WEBSITE(S):
http://www.dorothyhafner.com/about_op.htm
Artist's Studio: Hafner Creative Space
 | Center For Craft |
 | AMOCA American Museum of Ceramic Art |
“Hafner” handwritten, in black, normally with a year, sometimes with a copyright symbol
Citation: Beul, Jasmine. "The Marks Project." Last modified May 22, 2023. http://www.themarksproject.org/marks/hafner
