Harriet Brisson passed away on August 24, 2019 of natural causes. She was 87.

A Memorial service will be held at the Rehoboth Congregational Church at 2:00pm on Friday, September 20.

She is survived by one son, Erik Brisson, and two grandchildren, Cole Sullivan Brisson and Celia Sullivan Brisson.

Her loss is mourned by innumerable friends, colleagues, and students.

Harriet was proud of the fact that she grew up on a farm. She loved animals, learning to ride horses, and was never afraid of getting her hands dirty.

She entered Rhode Island School of Design at the age of sixteen and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics in 1953. At RISD she met the love of her life, David Brisson. They married after graduation, then went directly on to Ohio University, where they each completed Master of Fine Art degrees. After stints in Kansas City, Missouri, and Auburn, Alabama, they returned to their native New England when Dave accepted a teaching position at RISD.

Their relationship was a lively combination of family activities, teaching, and creative work. They interacted and collaborated on numerous projects and offered support and criticism of each others' individual work. It was a productive and emotionally charged creative partnership.

They lived in Providence for five years. During that time they bought a cottage in Green Hill, which was a favorite place for over fifty years. Harriet loved spending time there and enjoyed hosting many friends and relatives, who surely have fond memories of time spent there. They also bought a house in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, which became her primary residence and home studio.

Harriet returned to RISD to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching in 1966, then taught at Mount Pleasant High School for three years before taking a position as Professor of Art at Rhode Island College in 1969. This was the role that brought together all of her experience and talents, and where she shone in 28 years of inspired teaching, leading the Art Department for 6 years, Assistant Dean of Arts and Sciences for a decade, and uninterrupted creative artistry. She was honored as Professor Emeritus on retiring in 1997. Beyond being an outstanding teacher, she served as a mentor and role model. Numerous young people found their path by meeting her and being her student. She went above and beyond her offical duties in sharing her life, time, and expertise with these students, and it changed their lives in amazing ways.

After David's death in 1982 she forged ahead as the strong independent woman that she always was, working, showing, teaching, and traveling. She loved to travel, meeting new people and savoring new exeriences. Some trips included conferences, shows, or presentations, while others were completely self-directed, but they always combined learning and adventure.

Harriet and Dave had one child, Erik. They passed on to him the value of education and the pursuit of knowledge, a reverence for the creative endeavor. and the joy of tenaciously engaging in problem-solving. Erik married Eileen Sullivan and together they brought two grandchildren, Cole and Celia, into the world. Harriet loved spending time with her grandkids, whether taking them out for ice cream or working with them on art projects, or playing with them at the beach. Cole and Celia never got to meet their grandfather Dave, but they formed a close bond with Grandma Hattie that lasted into their adulthood. She was thrilled to take Celia to horse riding lessons, which she herself had enjoyed as a child. Harriet deeply loved her son and her grandchildren, along with Eileen and Bob Bullock, who were all close family until the end.

She was a master of her craft, but managed to stay humble and generous. She used an array of techniques, producing objects in the functional tradition as well as many variations on geometric themes. She expanded her scope, producing wall hangings and large-scale geometric sculptures using ceramics, wood, metal, mirrored plastic, and neon, often working with Dave. The two of them were key in starting the Hypergraphics movement. A retrospective show in 2001 at Salve Regina showcased fifty years of her work.

She was an active participant in the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) starting in the late 1960s. NCECA presented her with their Regional Award for Excellence in 2015. The event was accompanied by a show of her work together with that of colleagues, students, and family. She was the President of the Board of Directors of Studio Potter from 1990-1998, and continued to serve on the board after that.

The number of people that she touched is overwhelming. Beyond family and friends there are an impressive number of former students and colleagues who felt she filled the role of a mother, as sympathetic listener, advisor, mentor, and role model. Support for her, and testamonials from former students over the years, reveal how loved and appreciated she was and remains.

Through years of battling various medical ailments, and the natural ravages of age, she maintained her spirit. During periods of better health she was as lucid as ever, and she exercised her sense of humor till the end. Though sad, her passing away in hospice was timely and a blessing. She will be deeply missed and warmly remembered.