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Artist, Ada Dolan, working on a large ceramic vase on a pottery wheel, trimming the foot of a vase.
A ceramic vase with a rounded top, handles on both sides, and overlaid glaze pattern, topped with a white and light blue lid in the form of a hydrangea bloom, against a plain white background.
A ceramic vase with a black and brown pattern, featuring a handle on each side and a textured base resembling vines, the lid is a blue and white sculpted hydrangea
A decorative ceramic vase with a blue and white sculpted hydrangea lid, with a mottled brown and cream glaze. The vase has two curved handles on each side.
Artist, Ada Dolan, sitting and shaping clay on a pottery wheel.

About Ada


I've been drawn to art for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are of making with my hands, and ceramics quickly became the medium that felt most like home. When it came time to choose a career, though, I pursued Industrial Design. It seemed like the practical way to build a life around creativity, and it gave me a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, materiality, and the relationship between people and the objects they surround themselves with.

As rewarding as design was, I eventually realized that I wasn't fulfilled by creating products alone. I wanted to make work that asked questions, carried stories, and fostered connection. Art wasn't simply a passion I could pursue on the side; it was the path I had to follow.

Today, my ceramic practice combines the precision of design with a deep interest in symbolism, history, and identity. Central to my work is the hydrangea, a flower whose meaning has shifted across cultures and generations. In Victorian floriography, hydrangeas were often used to label women as boastful, vain, or frivolous because of their large, abundant blooms and relatively small seed production. I am drawn to that history because it reflects the ways femininity has so often been misunderstood, diminished, or judged on appearance alone.

A person working on a sculpture of a hydrangea, shaping clay on a table inside a workshop.

By repeatedly sculpting hydrangeas in clay, I reclaim that symbolism. What was once used as a criticism becomes a celebration. Each bloom honors women as individuals while speaking to the strength of women as a collective. Whether functional or sculptural, my work invites moments of gathering, reflection, and conversation, creating space to celebrate femininity in all of its complexity, resilience, and beauty.