Vessel with Rattan Handle ( pit fired clay, rattan) Collection of Sherry and Charles Harrison

Lynn Whitehead Lehnert was well known throughout the United States and overseas for her oriental ceramic sculpture. Her ceramics have been exhibited in the Tennessee State Museum, the Evansville Museum of Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., to name a few. In a statement about her work she said, "The spiritual qualities found in oriental religions have affected me. I feel a near mystical experience in the temples, and that translates in my art."

Bell Form (clay, copper/muriatic acid glaze) Collection of Bill Lehnert

Bells, particularly those used to call the monks, held a special fascination for her and much of her inspiration came from Chinese cast bronzes of the Shou and Han dynasty. "The weight and balance of elements within each work are important for visual harmony," she noted. "This harmony, I believe, contributes to the implied ritual or iconographic qualities of the work."

Lynn became a member of the East Tennessee State University artist community in 1979, when she began to earn her Master of Fine Arts degree. In 1987, she became the only one of ETSU's Department of Art and Design graduates appointed to a full-time faculty position in over 20 years. In charge of the ceramics program, she received the Distinguished Teaching Award in 2000 from the School of Arts and Sciences. She was also an active member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists, and the American Craft Council, among others.

Lidded Vessel with Found Object Enhancement, ( clay, metal, copper/ muriatic acid glaze)

Throughout her tenure, Lynn provided faculty leadership for her students, regardless of their experience level, and was instrumental in the operation of the Student Ceramics Association.

The faculty of the Department of Art and Design overwhelmingly remember Lynn as a born teacher, one that knew when to step forward with instruction and when to step back and allow the student a time for self-discovery. She considered herself a teacher first and an artist second. Without question, she distinguished herself as both artist and professor, and as a genuine person, enriching all who knew her.

Wedding Platter, (pit fired clay with copper luster) Collection of Linda Horton