Sister Mary Trinitas Morin

Biography to Display:

1908 Born

1965 Died Great Falls, Montana

EDUCATION

1952 MFA Catholic University of America, Washington, District of Columbia

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1933–1965 Professor of Art, University of Great Falls, Great Falls, Montana

BIOGRAPHY

Sister Mary Trinitas Morin was known for her varied approach to ceramics. As she moved from functional pottery to tile works she often combined materials into mixed media works. Her work in clay is oftentimes marked by storytelling and is typically fired to cone 10 (2,350F).

A Sister of Providence, Trinitas was the head of the Division of Arts at the Great Falls, MT College of Education, today the University of Great Falls.

Trinitas is largely responsible for beginning the serious study of ceramics in Montana. Educated at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Catholic University of America, she was an artist fully developed in a variety of media. Sister Trinitas was the first educator to introduce a ceramic kiln on a college campus in Montana.

Trinitas shared her basic blast-furnace ceramic kiln design with other educators across the state, including Frances Senska who used the design to help shape her program at Montana State University. Trinitas also developed a rail car walk-in kiln at the University of Great Falls, significantly ahead of the times. Her pioneering research in the construction of ceramic kilns and work towards stimulating the teaching of pottery in schools across Montana has left an indelible mark on the development of ceramics in the state.

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Public Collections to Display:

University of Great Falls, Great Falls, Montana

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography to Display:

Newby, Rick and Chere Jiutso. A Ceramic Continuum: Fifty Years of the Archie Bray Influence. Edited by Peter Held. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 2001.

Typical Marks