Esther Dendel

Esther Sietmann Warner Dendel (1910–2002) was an American author and craftswoman who published several books on craftsmanship and Liberian traditions. She was the cofounder of Denwar Ceramics and was awarded the Annual Author Award by the Irvine Library in 1968.

Early life and education On February 2, 1910, Dendel was born to Lewis and Grace Sietmann on a farm outside of Laurel, Iowa. At age 11, she became a member of her local 4-H club and was named Iowa State 4-H President at the age of 17. In 1927, Dendel graduated from high school as the valedictorian of her class and began attending Iowa State College, though she left school after two years to work as a Home demonstration agent of the Extension Department of West Virginia Agricultural College.

Eventually, Dendel resumed her education, earning a degree from the Home economics Department of Iowa State College in 1938. Upon her graduation, she was awarded a Lydia Roberts Fellowship, which allowed her to continue her studies at Columbia University in New York City, where she earned a master's degree in art, with an emphasis in sculpture.

Career

Life in Liberia Warner Dendel married botanist Robert Warner on December 9, 1939. The couple, who had met at Iowa State College, moved to Liberia after Robert was appointed Research Director for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. The couple, who were married in 1950, created and sold unique dishes and pottery. During the 1960s, the Dendels began hosting weekly instructional pottery workshops. Their work has been displayed in both the Museum of Modern Art and the Bowers Museum.

Memoirs

New Song in a Strange Land (1948) Seven Days to Lomaland (1954)

Novels

The Silk Cotton Tree (1958)