Magdalene Anyango Namakhiya Odundo, OBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 (born 1950) is a Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

n-born British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 studio potter

Studio pottery

Studio pottery is made by modern artists working alone or in small groups, producing unique items of pottery in small quantities, typically with all stages of manufacture carried out by one individual. Much studio pottery is tableware or cookware but an increasing number of studio potters produce...

.

She was born in Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

 and received her early education in both India and Kenya. She moved to England in 1971 to continue her training in graphic art. In 1974-1975, she visited Nigeria and Kenya to study traditional hand-built pottery techniques. She also traveled to San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico

San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico

San Ildefonso Pueblo is a census-designated place in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 458 at the 2000 census...

 to observe the making of blackware

Black-burnished ware

- Overview :Black-burnished ware is a type of Romano-British ceramic. It comprises wheel-thrown grey or black sand-tempered wares, typically everted-rim jars with burnished lattice decoration, bead-rim and plain dishes....

 vessels. In 1976, Odundo received a BA from St. Joseph's College of Art and Design

Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College

The Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College was an art college in the United Kingdom. It merged with the Kent Institute of Art & Design on 1 August 2005 to form the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester, now the University for...

. She then earned a masters degree at the Royal College of Art

Royal College of Art

The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...

 in London. She taught at the Commonwealth Institute

Commonwealth Institute

The Commonwealth Institute was an educational charity connected with the Commonwealth of Nations, and the name of a building in West London formerly owned by the Institute...

 in London from 1976 to 1979 and at the Royal College of Art

Royal College of Art

The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...

 in London from 1979 to 1982. She lives and works in Surrey.

Odundo's best-known ceramics are hand built, using a coiling technique. Each piece is burnished, covered with slip, and then burnished again. The pieces are fired in an oxidizing atmosphere, which turns them a red-orange. A second firing in an oxygen-poor (reducing) atmosphere causes the clay to turn black; this is known as reduction-firing.

Many of the vessels she creates are reminiscent of the human form, often following the curves of the spine, stomach, or hair.

Her work may be found in museum collections worldwide.

She is Professor of Ceramics at the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham

Farnham

Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...

, England

Awarded the African Art Recognition Award

African Art Recognition Award

The Detroit Institute of Arts Department of Africa, Oceania and Indigenous Americas established the African Art Recognition Award in 2005. This award is given annually to honor the exemplary lifetime contributions of distinguished artists, scholars, collectors, and other citizens to the...

 by Detroit Art Institute in 2008

She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at the 2008 Birthday Honours.

External Links

Guide to Chinese Ceramics