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1944 Born Copenhagen, Denmark
EDUCATION
1966 BA Art Education SUNY at Buffalo State, New York
1967-1968 Graduate Studies, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts
1972 MFA University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
APPRENCICESHIPS AND RESIDENCIES
1976, 1979 Arts in Industry, Kohler Company, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE
1972—Studio Artist
1972-1977 Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin
1976, 1978 Lecturer, Art Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
1977 Visiting Artist, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
1980 Visiting Faculty, Scripps College, Claremont, California
BIOGRAPHY
Karen Massaro has produced a large body of sculptural work typically of cast porcelain. Her work is very colorful with the color either in the clay or added after the bisque firing. Each piece is carefully sanded after the final firing to produce a very smooth eggshell like surface.
Sculptures often consist of multiple pieces that are arranged after firing. She also makes a line of jewelry composed of multiple small versions of the forms she uses in her sculptures.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin
Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California
Decorative Arts Museum, Little Rock, Arkansas
J. Orton, Jr. Ceramic Foundation, Columbus, Ohio
John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Kansas University, Lawrence, Kansas
Madison Art Center, Madison, Wisconsin
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mingei International Museum, San Diego, California
Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz County, California
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona
Plains Art Museum, Morehead, Minnesota
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Topeka & Shawnee Co. Public Library Collection
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fina, Angela and Jonathan Fairbanks. The Best of Pottery. Rockport, MA: Quarry Books, 1996.
Logan, Kristina. 1,000 Beads. New York, NY: Lark Crafts, Sterling Publishing, 2014.
Herman, Lloyd. Art That Works. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1990.
Hluch, Kevin A. The Art of American Contemporary Pottery. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2000.
Hopper, Robin. Making Marks: Discovering the Ceramic Surface. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2004.
___________. Functional Pottery, Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose. : Krause Publications, 2000.
Hunt, Bill, ed. 21st Century Ceramics in the United States and Canada. The American Ceramics Society, 2003.
Kohler, Ruth. Arts/Industry: Collaboration and Revelation. Sheboygan, WI: John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 2014.
Massaro, Karen Thuesen. “Big Creek Pottery.” Ceramics Monthly (April 2011).
___________________. “A Potter’s Throwing Rib.” Studio Potter 36, no.2 (2008).
Nelson, Glenn and Richard Burkett. A Potter’s Handbook. Harcourt Brace, 2003.
Peterson, Susan and Jan Peterson. The Craft and Art of Clay, 5th Edition. London, England: Laurence King Publishing, 2012.
Sadler, A. L. The Japanese Tea Ceremony. Charles E. Tuttle Company, 2008.
Santiago, Chiori. “Real/Surreal, the Ceramics of Karen Thuesen Massaro.” American Craft (June/July 2000).
Zakin, Richard. Electric Kiln Ceramics, 3rd Edition. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2004.
____________. Ceramics, Mastering the Craft. Radnor, PA: Chilton and Company, 1990.
WEBSITE(S):
Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified April 16, 2023. http://www.themarksproject.org/marks/massaro