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Something from nothing
Lorna Meaden (Studio Art, ’94) built a career as a ceramicist in mountain towns around the West.
Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Lorna Meaden (Studio Art, ’94) heard from a friend about a small school in Colorado’s southern mountains.
“I wanted to go somewhere completely different from where I grew up,” Meaden said. “Because of [Fort Lewis College’s] small size, I felt I could find the support to follow my passion and make the most of it.”
Meaden started making pottery in high school. At FLC, she took advantage of every opportunity to explore the art form, discover new techniques, and grow it into a career. She graduated from FLC with a degree in Studio Art and earned her Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from Ohio University in 2005. She’s worked as an artist-in-residence in mountain towns around the West and taught as an adjunct professor at FLC and San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico.
“With ceramics, you’re creating something from nothing that could last thousands of years,” she said. “It’s one of the oldest professions on the planet. I’ve been doing pottery for 35 years and still love it.”
Meaden sells her creations at lornameadenpottery.com and Durango’s Studio & Gallery, where she is a member-owner. When she isn’t throwing clay, Meaden teaches pottery workshops.
In 2008, Meaden married fellow FLC alumnus Jess Wilton (Physics, ’96), who owns Interface Architecture in Durango. He designed and built their home, which includes a pottery studio and kiln designed and built by Meaden.