This exquisite piece is handmade by artist Juanita May of Coconut Grove, Miami Florida (1920-2013). She is well known for many murals around Miami area, and was head of the school at the Metropolitan Museum and Art Center which was housed at the Biltmore Hotel from 1975-1989. She was also the head of the school at the Bass Museum. A 1963 appointment as visiting artist at the Art Institute of Chicago, led to her profile in Ceramics Monthly. Her work has been shown in many museums and has garnered over 20 major awards. Noted for her large ceramic murals, she covered entire walls in a number of South Florida commercial and civic buildings. Juanita May was founding member of Clayspace which was on Lincoln Road (Miami Beach) from 1990-96 and the Ceramic League of the Palm Beaches.
Obituary Published in Miami Herald on Oct. 4, 2013
MAY, JUANITA ARTIST IN CLAY, DIES AT 93. COCONUT GROVE -- Juanita May, artist in clay, has died. She was 93. May's work consists largely of murals, mosaics, and sculpture of various sizes from the monumental to the minute. Her work is characterized by distinctive textures, earthy clay tones, and rich ceramic glazes, many of which she originated. May studied ancient Byzantine mosaics in Italy and pre-revolutionary mosaics in Russia. She researched and perfected an original approach to ceramic mosaics combining the ancient techniques with space-age materials. May had one-person exhibitions at the Chicago Art Institute, the Norton Museum in Palm Beach, the Lowe Museum, the University of Miami, and many other showings. Her work was circulated nationally and is in the permanent collections of museums and many private collections. May executed numerous site specific commissions both public and private. She was artist-in-residence at the Art Institute of Chicago. She judged, juried, curated, designed, and installed many large multi-media art exhibitions. Among her many commissions was the mural, "The Exodus," for a twenty foot wall at Miami's Temple Israel. For television's ABC Channel 10 Miami, she hosted over sixty half-hour programs called "Living Art." Her work was on the cover of Ceramics Monthly and in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Southern Living, feature articles in the Miami Herald, Miami News, and Miami Review. May was the founder of the Ceramic League of Miami and of the Ceramic League of the Palm Beaches. She taught at the Norton Museum, the Lowe Museum and was Director of the Metropolitan Museum Art School for many years. Juanita May is survived by sons Stephen and Frank and granddaughter Monique.
