Donna Polsenso & Richard Hensley
Welcome to our podcast. Today I will be interviewing a dynamic couple who have influenced the world of ceramics for over half a century. Donna Polseno and Richard Hensley met in graduate school and moved to Floyd, Virginia's isolated rural mountain community. Donna is our current cover artist for the 2021 Artemis Journal.
Building their kiln in an old barn, they began their career attracting friends and colleagues settling in the community. This congregation of potters established a local studio art tour still thriving today, known as the 16Hands.
Side-by-side, Donna Polseno and Rick Hensley have fostered a conversation as we advance about the continuum of the artistic medium of clay stretching a half a century. Currently, they have an art show at Hollins University's Eleanor Wilson Museum. This show is a testimony to the power of a pair and, when in synch, can produce a compelling collection of works and a beautiful marriage.