A Legacy in Clay: Cary Esser Retiring After 30 Years Transforming KCAI Ceramics
02.24.2026
The KCAI Alumni Office invites you to a Retirement Party honoring Senior Professor and alumna Cary Esser (‘78 Ceramics). The celebration will take place during the NCECA Conference in Detroit, Michigan, at the Detroit Foundation Hotel on Friday, March 27, from 5–7 p.m.
Following a 30-year long career at the Kansas City Art Institute, including 28 as the Chair of Ceramics, Senior Professor Cary Esser recently announced to students her plan to retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year, a decision with incredible weight given her legacy within the department and beyond.
“I know people say this all the time, and it's because it's true: teachers learn so much from their students and I have experienced this for sure,” Esser said in her message to Ceramics majors. “Every day of the school year, working with each of you and with my colleagues in ceramics and at KCAI, has been a wonderful experience, even when it’s challenging. Watching you all grow throughout your semesters at KCAI is absolutely remarkable.”
"I know people say this all the time, and it's because it's true: teachers learn so much from their students and I have experienced this for sure."
Just as her students have grown, Esser has helped guide the Ceramics program at the Kansas City Art Institute to a contemporary standard while remaining respectful of the school’s 140-year history and the educators and students who came before her.
Esser developed strong ties with her colleagues in the ceramics department, starting with established faculty members George Timock and Victor Babu when she arrived in 1996 and continuing through the present with Paul Donnelly, Casey Whittier, and Tom Binger. In collaboration, she led and instituted projects related to the overall departmental curriculum, professional readiness for students, safety and sustainability in the studio, and facility upgrades through construction, renovations, and the installation of new equipment.
Esser is known for her ceramic wall pieces, inspired by abstraction and minimalism and by architecture, specifically the historical uses of clay as ornament and facade. A KCAI graduate, in her Foundation year professors encouraged students to resource the city for content, site, and material. Esser’s explorations of Kansas City yielded a growing interest in the city’s buildings, leading to her realization that many of the colorful motifs, sculpted reliefs, and embellishments she was drawn to were made of glazed and fired clay.
Her passion for this architectural aspect of ceramics is incorporated into Esser’s junior level courses. Students learn technical materials and methods related to the tradition, complemented by an extensive glaze palette of color, texture, and light characteristics developed over many years by Esser. Annual field trips expose ceramics majors to the rich history of ceramics on Kansas City structures, ranging from those found along the Historic 9th Street District to Midtown and the Country Club Plaza.
Enduring Influence
During her tenure as chair, Esser worked with colleagues to expand their offerings of the ceramics major and elective studies to include courses in digital design and fabrication, kiln-formed glass, social practice, entrepreneurship, and Faculty-Led Travel in Hungary. An ongoing project initiated by Esser is titled Elsewhere, which challenges seniors to install their works in a variety of sites to explore how context shapes meaning.
When students, alumni, and fellow faculty speak about Esser, they often begin with her character. They describe a person with a keen ability to observe, someone who offers honest feedback while balancing material research discussions with focused conceptual questions. Through a steady, generous presence, she has anchored the department in a way that makes others feel seen and heard.
Professor Paul Donnelly, the Kathleen Collins Chair of Ceramics succeeding Esser, reflected on her example: “She is consistently asking new questions and redefining her work, encapsulating a sense of beauty and awe through the materials she uses. She has allowed me to understand that we are not defined or bound to our current styles or ideas and there is always time to ask new questions and let them lead you to new directions.”
Donnelly says that watching Esser during critique sessions at Kansas City Art Institute is a powerful experience, as her suggestions and observations often spark insights that students themselves may not yet have realized. “She links technique, process, material, and the formal elements of their work so students can better understand the underlying conceptual relationships. This often allows them to see their work in a new way and later expand on their practice in multiple directions.”
Associate Professor of Ceramics Casey Whittier (’08 Ceramics) says Esser has shared everything with her, from glaze recipes to guidance on navigating challenges as an educator. Whittier has realized that this generosity is not limited to her own experience.
“What Cary teaches extends well beyond ceramic history, material knowledge, and artistic process, though she is an expert in these areas,” Whittier said. “She embodies leadership, persistence, and integrity. She exudes strength and poise. She challenges students to go beyond themselves, take risks with their work, and in their career paths.”
As part of her lasting impact, Esser collaborated with alumni and donors Byron and Deanne McKeown to establish the McKeown Special Project Award, a grant supporting student research and travel. The award’s process mimics that of a professional grant application, offering students valuable skills for their future careers. Esser was an early proponent of professional initiatives embedded into the KCAI curriculum and established a mandatory internship experience into the ceramics major. To encourage sound, lifelong habits for graduates, Esser and her colleagues led an overhaul of safety measures into the curriculum. Upgrades to the clay, glaze, plaster, and kilns rooms were designed with attention to new protective features, particularly ventilation systems for use when mixing raw materials and firing kilns.
Esser also demonstrated a tireless commitment to the collection of works made by students, faculty, alumni, and practicing artists. This gathering of ceramics consists of more than 600 objects used for hands-on research and meaningful displays within the department. In addition, Esser encouraged exposure to the careers of professionals through visiting artists and critics, and consistent source research by students through regular visits to the on-campus Jannes Library. She even developed a habit of lending books from her personal collection to students.
"She is consistently asking new questions and redefining her work, encapsulating a sense of beauty and awe through the materials she uses."
Many alumni describe these initiatives as a bridge to “the real world,” treating students as emerging professionals. Margeaux Claude (’11 Ceramics) recalls discussing the “larger trajectory” of a life in the arts with Esser, linking studio practice to the wider world. Claude is now Assistant Professor of Ceramics at the School of Art & Design, Eastern Michigan University. She describes Esser as incredibly supportive during her early career as a faculty member outside of KCAI. “She never hesitated to make time to jump on a call, talk about curriculum, or discuss how things are structured and delivered,” Claude said.
“I would say Cary is incredibly thoughtful in how she chooses her words,” Claude said. “Her words carry so much weight and meaning because she is so selective and careful and intentional in how she communicates.”
“She has a special ability to let students lead the conversation and guide the direction of their work,” Claude continues. “She holds space for the future without projecting or steering what it should look like. That has been an incredibly valuable lesson for me as an educator.”
Jada Patterson (’20 Art History & Ceramics) says she also feels that support, noting how Esser’s early career shaped much of her approach. “Cary came into her position at a time when the ceramics world was largely dominated by men. To some extent, it still is, but she was one of those people who helped push the field in the direction we see today.”
Patterson added, “We would hear stories about how hard it was for her, though she never mentioned it. People doubted her, and she had to prove herself in ways that often go unseen or uncredited. I think that perseverance informs everything she does.”
Near & Far
Esser’s mentorship has helped KCAI students and graduates earn prestigious national honors, including 3 Windgate-Lamar Fellowships along with numerous NCECA Regina Brown Undergraduate Fellowships and Project Network residencies in Denmark. She also has a direct connection to a long list of notable alumni, including Roberto Lugo, a Heinz Award winner whose work is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
She is not without her own accolades. Esser has had a significant impact on the broader ceramics community and curatorial landscape, serving as the on-site liaison for the 2002 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference in Kansas City. She curated numerous landmark shows at venues including the Belger Arts Center and Union Station. A 2009 episode of the PBS series Craft in America highlighted Esser, her colleagues, students, and Kansas City architecture. Esser’s art practice is represented in Kansas City by Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, and her ceramics are found in museum collections such as the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. You can find her with hands in clay at the Belger Crane Yard Studios, where she is a resident artist.
“Her words carry so much weight and meaning because she is so selective and careful and intentional in how she communicates.”
As she approaches retirement, this more than ever defines her legacy: a stoic leader in ceramics who encourages questions and consistently sees and hears her students through intense attention. She views the growth of her students and peers as her own. Hers is a depth of knowledge shared freely with focus on the individuals around her.
The KCAI Alumni Office invites you to a Retirement Party honoring Senior Professor and alumna Cary Esser (‘78 Ceramics). The celebration will take place during the NCECA Conference in Detroit, Michigan, at the Detroit Foundation Hotel on Friday, March 27, from 5–7 p.m.