Manitou Springs, CO
(b. 1954, Connecticut)

Betsey Niebuhr’s love of pottery began in 1971 at an art school on an island off the coast of Sweden, where she first discovered the wheel. Though she earned a degree in Scientific Illustration from Skidmore College, most of her time was spent in the ceramics studio under a renowned potter influenced by Japanese traditions. After graduation, she apprenticed with him for four years, supporting herself by working in a bakery in Saratoga Springs. Fascinated by Japanese brushwork, she began incorporating it into her pottery. Later, she worked at a museum where she demonstrated colonial pottery techniques, then moved to Colorado, teaching both history and pottery to children in an after-school program.

Since retiring in 2020, Betsey has returned to pottery at the  Manitou Art Center, rediscovering her early forms and glazes while experimenting with carved surfaces, handmade transfers, and slip-trailing. Her work blends simplicity and function with layered texture and color. For Betsey, pottery is about connection—sharing ideas, inspiration, and the beauty found in everyday, handcrafted objects.