# Mary Given Sheerer

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**Mary Given Sheerer** (1865–1954) was an American [ceramicist](/source/Ceramic_art), designer, and art educator, best known for her affiliation with the [Newcomb Pottery](/source/Newcomb_Pottery) project at [H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College](/source/H._Sophie_Newcomb_Memorial_College), now part of [Tulane University](/source/Tulane_University).[1]

## Biography

Sheerer was born in [Covington, Kentucky](/source/Covington,_Kentucky) in 1865.[2] She studied art in Massachusetts, the [Art Students League of New York](/source/Art_Students_League_of_New_York), under [Hugh Breckenridge](/source/Hugh_Breckenridge) at the [Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts](/source/Pennsylvania_Academy_of_Fine_Arts) and graduated from the [Art Academy of Cincinnati](/source/Art_Academy_of_Cincinnati).[3][4] While living in Covington in the early 1890s, she worked at [Rookwood Pottery Company](/source/Rookwood_Pottery_Company).[2] In 1894, Newcomb art faculty founders [William Woodward](/source/William_Woodward_(artist)) and [Ellsworth Woodward](/source/Ellsworth_Woodward) made Sheerer their first faculty hire.[4] She became a full professor in 1903.[2] From 1903 to 1909, Sheerer was appointed as professor of pottery design and supervisor of pottery decoration; her official title was Professor of Pottery and China Decoration. In 1909, Sheerer was promoted to Assistant Director of Pottery.[5] Sheerer was a member of the Cincinnati Museum Association, Cincinnati Crafters Club, [New Orleans Art Association](https://www.noartassoc.org/), Cincinnati Women's Art Club, and the [American Federation of Arts](/source/American_Federation_of_Arts).[6] Her works were displayed at the [Louisiana Purchase Exposition](/source/Louisiana_Purchase_Exposition) in 1904, and the [Panama–Pacific International Exposition](/source/Panama%E2%80%93Pacific_International_Exposition) held in [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco) in 1915.[2][6] She was noted for designing glazes and pottery decoration.[7]

Sheerer was responsible for setting standards and guiding Newcomb Pottery's day-to-day production.[8]

She gave technical advice to Mississippi ceramicist [Peter Anderson](/source/Peter_Anderson_(artist)).[9]

Sheerer retired from the Newcomb faculty in 1931.[3] Post Sheerer's retirement from [Newcomb Pottery](/source/Newcomb_Pottery), she was awarded as a fellow of the [American Ceramic Society](/source/American_Ceramic_Society) on March 11, 1931.[10] She died in December 1954 in Cincinnati and is buried at Highland Cemetery, [Fort Mitchell, Kentucky](/source/Fort_Mitchell,_Kentucky).[2]

The "Spanish Dagger Plate" is the product of collaboration between decorator, Mary Sheerer, and potter, Joseph Meyer.[11]

## References

1. H., Conradsen, David (2013). *The arts & crafts of Newcomb Pottery*. New York: Rizzoli International. ISBN 978-0-8478-4055-7. [OCLC 859645351](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/859645351)

1. Reis, Jim (October 12, 1998). "Pottery, Portraits, Mexico Defined This Trio of Artists". *Cincinnati Post*. p. 4K.

1. Ormond, Suzanne (1976). [*Louisiana's Art Nouveau: The Crafts of the Newcomb Style*](https://books.google.com/books?id=lk6SBp6HFZYC&q=mary%2520given%2520sheerer&pg=PA130). Pelican Publishing. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-4556-0791-4.

1. Dautreuil, Linda Trappey (November 2013). ["Women, Art and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Experiment"](http://www.insidenorthside.com/women-art-social-chang-newcomb-pottery-enterprise/). *Inside Northside*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20131117083204/http://www.insidenorthside.com/women-art-social-chang-newcomb-pottery-enterprise/) 17 Nov 2013 at the Wayback Machine.

1. Poesch, Jessie (1984). [*Newcomb Pottery: An Enterprise for Southern Women 1895–1940*](https://archive.org/details/newcombpotteryen0000poes/page/104). Schiffer Publishing. pp. [104](https://archive.org/details/newcombpotteryen0000poes/page/104). ISBN 0-916838-99-4.

1. Benezit Dictionary of Artists. ["Sheerer, Mary Given"](https://www-oxfordartonline-com.echo.louisville.edu/benezit/view/10.1093/benz/9780199773787.001.0001/acref-9780199773787-e-00168507). *Oxford Art Online*. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 21 May 2020.

1. Staff of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. ["Mary Sheer"](http://www.knowlouisiana.org/entry/mary-sheerer). *knowlouisiana.org Encyclopedia of Louisiana*. Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved 20 March 2018.

1. Poesch, Jessie (2012-05-07). ["The Art Program at Newcomb College and the newcomb Potter"](https://books.google.com/books?id=iFkSVdKczjgC&q=mary%2520given%2520sheerer&pg=PT285). *Newcomb College, 1886–2006: Higher Education for Women in New Orleans*. Tucker, Susan & Willinger, Beth (eds.). LSU Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-4338-4.

1. ["Peter Anderson Bio"](http://www.shearwaterpottery.com/about/bio/peter/peter.html). *www.shearwaterpottery.com*. Retrieved 2022-10-02.

1. Poesch, Jessie (1984). [*Newcomb Pottery: An Enterprise for Southern Women 1895–1940*](https://archive.org/details/newcombpotteryen0000poes/page/104). Schiffer Publishing. p. [104](https://archive.org/details/newcombpotteryen0000poes/page/104). ISBN 0-916838-99-4.

1. ["Mary Sheerer"](http://www.knowlouisiana.org/entry/mary-sheerer). *Knowlouisiana.org*. Retrieved March 20, 2018.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mary Given Sheerer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Given_Sheerer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Given_Sheerer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.