After a five-year apprenticeship at Genszler Stoneware Designs in Wisconsin, Elisabeth Maurland, M.A. ’89, opened her own pottery studio in Decorah, Iowa.

Her ceramic art regularly wins awards at juried art fairs across the country. It is also now a keepsake for European royalty. A native of Oslo, Maurland was asked to create a piece for the King and Queen of Norway, who visited Luther College on its 150th anniversary last fall. Maurland’s 17-inch platter made of stoneware clay incorporates the image of a crane, which is found in Norway and the Midwest. The bird is silhouetted against a backdrop of grains.