State Artist Diana Kersey

Description

When Diana Kersey was growing up in Lubbock, her parents let her dig a mud pit in their backyard. Thirteen inches down, she hit clay, and she’s been working with it ever since. Kersey is a visual artist working exclusively in clay, from small studio pieces to large architectural installations. Her work has become instantly identifiable, due to the muscular, spontaneous qualities of the material enhanced with her colorful, translucent glazes. Her public works have been commissioned by the City of San Antonio, VIA Metropolitan Transit, the San Antonio River Authority, and the City of Harlingen. In 2021 she completed her largest private commission to date, The Riparian Edge, for a San Antonio office tower. Kersey earned an MFA in ceramics from Washington State University in 1997, and a BFA in drawing from Texas Tech University in 1994. She is on faculty at Northwest Vista College and owns and operates Kersey Ceramics LLC in San Antonio. Workshops are available for beginner through advanced ceramic artists or structured as a community project for a specific location: pottery, sculpture, or architectural ceramics. Photo by Clara Lewis-Valero.