Martha Longenecker

1920 Born Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

2013 Died

EDUCATION

1941 BA University of California, Los Angeles, California

1952 MFA Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, California

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1945 Studio potter, Claremont, CA

—Taught Extension Service of the University of California, Los Angeles, California

—Idyllwild Art Foundation, Idyllwild, California

1955-1990 Professor, San Diego State University, San Diego, California

1978-2005 Founder/Director, Mingei International Museum, San Diego, California

Martha Longenecker’s ceramic production is wheel thrown stoneware functional vessel forms.

Initially a student of Laura Andreson at University of California, Longenecker went on to graduate school studies in painting with California School of painters’ artist Millard Sheets and studies in ceramics with Richard Petterson. It was at Claremont that she encountered Soetsu Yanagi and later went on to study pottery in Japan with Shoji Hamada.

Longenecker was a teacher who in 1955 established the ceramics program at San Diego State University and in 1978 founded and oversaw the development of the Mingei International Museum in San Diego, CA.