Browsing through Baton Rouge clay artist Ghada Henagan’s pottery collection, you will see plate sets with teal and mustard leaf prints, white and sandy brown planters with the outline of a pelican, baby blue hand-pinched bowls for pet food, and white mugs with a plump chicken eating feed off a green leaf.
The animals and nature etched into the pottery aren’t random, though. Each design has its own story. Henagan grew up in a small village in Lebanon. Since moving to the United States in 2006, she carries vivid and bittersweet memories of her hometown and her family’s displacement because of war.
Now, she sells her work at Mid City Makers Market, Baton Rouge Arts Market and other spots around town. Read on for more about Henagan and her work in this story from the January 2021 issue of 225.