Dara Hartman

BIO

Dara Hartman is a full time studio artist in Salt Lake City, UT. She serves as the Director  of the Women Working With Clay Symposium at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA and  as the Exhibitions Committee Chair for the 2025 Salt Lake City NCECA. She received a  BFA from Virginia Tech and an MFA from Montana State University. In 2005, she was an  Artist in Residence at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana. She has taught  at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Clark College in Vancouver, WA, and Oregon  College of Art and Craft in Portland, OR. Dara’s career includes a stint as a product  designer and design team leader which led to traveling in China and working with  factories on model design and production. In 2018, Dara was a Resident Artist at the  Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in Jingdezhen, China. In 2026 Dara will be the Frances  Niederer Artist-in-Residence at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA.

Artist Statement

My ceramic sculptures and pottery reference the patterns found in the handmade quilts, toys, and clothes that I grew up with that were made by my grandmothers. It wasn’t until I was photographing one of my large scale dinnerware sets from above that I could see . 

I was making the parts of a quilt and didn’t even realize it. The combination of patterns  and colors came together like a treasured heirloom. This moment sparked an idea to  research the craftswomen in my family, the objects they made, and the stories they told.  This has led to a parallel series of ceramic hanging sculptures and functional pots that  reference the objects my grandmothers made.

Exhibitions