Exhibit by renowned ceramic artist Helene Fielder opens at Museum today

 

 

 

The work of renowned ceramic artist Helene Fielder will open Thursday, June 18, 2026, 5:30 – 7 p.m.  at the Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany.  She will give a gallery talk at 6 p.m. regarding her work and inspirations.

Helene is one of Mississippi and the South’s premier artists.  Her work is known nationally and internationally.  The art work, both free standing and wall pieces, are sculptural, and uniquely strong in color, form and texture. There is no other work like that of Helene Fielder, said Jill Smith, museum director.

Fielder has maintained her full‑time Mississippi studio for more than 28 years, creating work that bridges pottery and silversmithing with a distinctly organic voice. Her art echoes the forms, colors, and textures of the natural world — from a seed breaking through soil to the shimmer of a fish’s scales or the intricate geometry found under a microscope. These natural “sculptures” serve as her richest inspiration, guiding her to craft pieces that feel alive, tactile, and deeply connected to the earth.

Born in France , she has lived and worked across both Europe and the United States, with her path winding through Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Slovenia, and Germany. Now based in Mississippi, she has maintained her full‑time studio for decades while teaching pottery, jewelry, metalsmithing, and silversmithing.

Some of the accolades her work has garnered includes:

• Best of show winner: Peter Anderson, Ocean Springs 2018, River Clay, Decatur 2019, Bluff Park Birmingham, Gumtree Tupelo, Arts Alive Florance, Starkville Museum Exhibit, Chimneyville Jackson, Monte Sano Huntsville, TACA Nashville…
• Museum exhibits: Her work was included in the Opening Exhibition of the George Ohr Museum, shown in the company of renowned artists such as George Ohr, Andy Warhol, James Barthe, and Jun Kaneko.
• Carnegie Visual Arts Center, Meridian Museum of Art, Gumtree Museum of Art, Solo Exhibition at the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art, Exhibition Frankfurt Germany.

Her creative journey began in the fifth grade, when she admired the horses a friend sketched in her notebook — a moment that sparked a lifelong devotion to drawing and the sketchbooks she still fills today. Before becoming a full‑time artist, Helene worked as an advertising specialist and marketing director at Air Force bases in Georgia and Arizona, where her articles and cover designs appeared in military publications. Her work earned her recognition as Woman of the Year, Civilian Employee of the Year, and leader of the Best Advertising Department in the Air Force in 1995.

Helene is a widow, formerly married to Ray Fielder, and is the mother of one son, Mark Fielder. Her life and art continue to be shaped by her international experiences, her love of teaching, and her deep connection to the natural world.

The museum is located at 114 Cleveland Street, New Albany.  For more information call 6620-538-0014.  Follow the museum on Facebook and Instagram for more events.

— Jill N. Smith, Director

Union County Heritage Museum & Faulkner Garden

114 Cleveland St. New Albany, MS 38652 662-538-0014

 

“The past is never dead. It isn’t even past.” William Faulkner, “Requieum for a Nun”