Heesoo Lee Artist Lecture

Join the Ceramics Program, Office for the Arts at Harvard for a free lecture with Heesoo Lee. 

Heesoo Lee’s artistic practice explores the complexities of human experience through its parallels with the natural world. Grounded in close observation of materials, nature, and place, her work thoughtfully engages with identity, connection, and the passage of time. Through subtle shifts in light, texture, color, and shadow in nature, Lee expresses a range of human emotions, capturing the profound beauty and fragility of existence in an ever-changing environment.

She creates sculptural vessels from porcelain, carefully constructing each piece and applying multiple layers of underglaze. Her distinctive technique of painting with pigmented clay often requires thirty or more layers to achieve the depth and realism for which she is known. The results, however, are unpredictable: during firing, the layers may interact and shift in color, while vibrant hues can fade at high temperatures. This dynamic relationship with her materials allows Lee to combine precision with a bold, intuitive exploration of imagery and surface treatments. Her work resonates deeply, reflecting moments of human transcendence that convey both strength and vulnerability, and making fleeting experiences of the world indelibly impactful.

This lecture is free and open to the public, but space is limited for in-person attendance. Register via EventBrite.

Artist Bio

Heesoo Lee was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, where she earned a BA in art from Ewha University. In 2000, she established a dedicated studio practice in Berkeley, California, before moving to Maui and developing a thriving studio business. Her artistic journey includes a summer residency at the Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts in 2013; a long-term residency from 2014 to 2016; a fall residency in 2021; and visiting artist appointments in 2020, 2022, and 2026. In 2019, she was also a long-term visiting artist and instructor at Pottery Northwest in Seattle. Heesoo is currently a full-time studio artist who teaches workshops in the United States and internationally.