Bacia Stepner Edelman

MADISON , WI -- Bacia Stepner Edelman, an extraordinary potter-sculptor, mother, grandmother and friend, died at age 84 on Saturday September 19, 2009 at the HospiceCare facility in Madison , Wisconsin . Bacia's daughters Laurie Edelman, Judith Edelman-Green and Sarah Edelman Coyne, her sons-in-law Bernie Green and Tom Coyne, and her dearest friend Andree Valley surrounded her during her last days.    So many others had visited her and sent their love through emails and messages and she appreciated all of them.  Bacia was especially grateful for the care and friendship of Dr. David Watts, Dr. Charles Stone and Dr. Julie Chang for helping her to fight the good fight as long as possible.   The HospiceCare team, especially Liz, lovingly helped her stay comfortable right until the end, just as they had done for Bacia's beloved husband Murray in 2001.   Bacia's greatest joy was her work which is lovingly displayed by her friend Russell Fouts on his website devoted to her, at http://users.skynet.be/russel.fouts/bacia.htm.   Bacia frequently ""played with clay"" before she was in kindergarten, encouraged by her devoted aunt Sybil Righter, who worked at the Paul Revere pottery in Boston.   On Saturday nights all the single female employees (the Saturday Evening Girls) were invited to bring their nieces and nephews and Bacia, the youngest attendee, fell in love with pottery, a passion that stayed with her until her very last days, when Andree helped her finish her very last piece, a joint work from the two of them.     Sybil ensured that Bacia took art classes at the Boston Museum during her childhood.   She then studied on scholarship with Josef Albers at Black Mountain College in Asheville, North Carolina in the summer of 1946, completed her Bachelors of Fine Arts at Rhode Island School of Design in 1947, completed her Masters of Fine Arts at New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University in 1950 and studied in Vienna at the Akademie Fhr Angwandte Kunst.   Bacia has attended and taught countless workshops and classes throughout the years, and the highlight of every year was the National Conference on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) annual conference.     Bacia's art is world-renowned, perhaps most notably her stunning teapots and her signature lichen glaze.   Bacia's work has appeared in countless juried and invitational exhibitions and her work is in permanent collections in the Milwaukee Art Museum , the Everson Museum , Northern Arizona Art Museum , Charles A. Wustum Museum , and numerous corporate and private collections.   In the last month of her life, she was notified that one of her pieces was selected for the permanent collection of the Asheville Art Museum in North Carolina -- Black Mountain College -- bringing her career full circle.     Bacia has been featured in numerous publications including 500 Teapots, 500 Bowls, Ceramics Monthly, Ceramics, Art, and Perception, and Clay Times.   Bacia was extremely proud of her daughters Lauren Edelman, a professor at UC Berkeley School of Law (soon to be Associate Dean), Judith Edelman-Green who is creating a community for adults with developmental disabilities and who will be ordained as a Rabbi in November, and Sarah Coyne, considered by Bacia to be the best lawyer on earth and who will be leading the health law group of her firm.    Bacia loved her sons-in-law Bernie Green and Tom Coyne very much, and was passionate about her grandchildren Raphi Green (26), Shira Green (23), Ilana Green (17), Emily Coyne (13), Leah Coyne (11), and Anna Coyne (6), all of whom will miss their Baba.   Being the strong-willed mother of three strong-willed daughters, Bacia sometimes wished she could have skipped straight to the grandchild stage -- but toward the end she was decidedly glad to have her girls around her and they were glad to be there.   Donations in Bacia's memory may be made to the Jewish Voice for Peace (www.jewishvoiceforpeace.com) or to the Rimon Village (www.rimonvillage.com), or checks made payable to these charities may be mailed to Sarah Coyne, 2130 Wood Road , Middleton WI 53562 .   Bacia's memorial service will be held on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. at the Warner Park Community Recreation Center at 1625 Northport Drive with an open house to follow at  Bacia's house, 1824 Vilas Avenue until 8 p.m. -- wear black at your own risk, she liked bright colors