María Albornoz knew teaching was her calling. Her journey from student to educator took her from her master’s program in fine arts to art centers across Philadelphia, including the Clay Studio, Philly Art Center, Blackhound Clay Studio, and Abington Art Center, where she honed her craft and shared her passion for ceramics with adult art students. Albornoz joined Moore College of Art & Design’s Fine Arts program as an adjunct professor in fall 2024.
Read on to learn more about María!
What’s your earliest memory of being creative or knowing you wanted to do something creative with your life?
I always wanted to be an artist. When I was young, it was always either architecture or painting. My gifts were always bags full of art materials because I was always painted. I knew I was going to go into interior design, furniture design or art. If you’re in a creative field, I think you often gravitate towards different forms of art—or at least that’s how I was.
Who is the artist or designer who has influenced you most and why?
When I wanted to be a painter, I was inspired by Richard Diebenkorn. He was one of the San Francisco Bay painters, and the way he painted was beautiful. When I went to graduate school, I discovered Roberto Lugo, a Latin-American artist and Philadelphian who is very surface-oriented in his ceramics.
When I found ceramics, I learned about Ayumi Horie, a ceramic artist whose work is very whimsical, and I was very drawn to her. I went to a workshop taught by Horie, and I fell in love with her warmth and the way she taught. We sat around her while she was working on the pottery wheel, and I remember thinking it was what I wanted to do with my career.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve done recently, professionally or otherwise?
I participated in the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show for the first time in November 2024. It was super interesting because I’ve never participated in a craft fair of this size. It was three and a half days, and I created a lot of work to prepare for it. I’d never created that much work before, but I pushed through and made new pieces with new shapes, so that made me happy. I was able to do a little bit of exploration during the process as well.
What is it like in your classroom at Moore?
My class is wheel throwing. We spend the first 30 minutes just preparing the room: getting water and cleaning the wheels before we discuss the projects we’ll be working on that day. I play music like bossa nova or Brazilian jazz in the background to create a relaxed environment where my students can create and explore.
Wheel throwing is a technical ability you have to develop, so I take time to teach each person what they need to know to master this skill. Afterward, it’s more about figuring things out on your own and learning as you go.
If Moore had a mascot, what would it be?
There’s a cartoon I know of a little line with a face on it. I keep seeing this beautiful line turning into shapes, because we’re all artists, we’re all learning and we’re not one thing. The idea that this line morphs into all these shapes would be fascinating to see Moore’s mascot.
Moore College of Art & Design is the only independent art and design college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Want to learn more about the Fine Arts major at Moore? Contact our Admissions team at enroll@moore.edu or 215.965.4015 to set up a call or a campus visit. We'd love to tell you more!
Photos courtesy of María Albornoz.
