Leza McVey

Leza Marie McVey (1907–1984) was an American ceramist and weaver. She is known for her large hand-built organic forms.

Biography

McVey née Sullivan was born on April 30 or May 1, 1907 in Cleveland, Ohio. She studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art (1927–1932) and at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (1943–1944). Around the early 30's, McVey's vision began to deteriorate, which continued to deteriorate and affected her throughout her career. she worked as a ceramist in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Based on a recommendation from Grotell, she taught a ceramics course over the summer at Cranbrook. In this time, she also became friends with the Japanese-American artist Toshiko Takaezu who studied at the Cranbrook Academy from 1951 to 1954. In 1965, the Cleveland Institute of Art presented a major retrospective of her work that included seventy-five large scale sculptures or what she called "ceramic forms." By 1979 McVey's production slowed due to her failing eyesight.

McVey died on September 24, 1984 in Cleveland, Ohio. the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Syracuse University Art Museum.

Legacy In 2002, the art historian Martin Eidelberg wrote a book entitled, The ceramic forms of Leza McVey, which helped bring her work back into the public eye.