Born January 15, 1945 in Dayton Ohio, Barbara Eigen earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1967 and, after a stint teaching at the University of Costa Rico School of Fine Arts in San Jose, founded Eigen Arts in her Soho loft in New York City in 1977.  Her first designs were molded from real fruits and vegetables, creating colorful, amusing ceramics for everyday use at home.  In 1989 she moved her studio to Jersey City, New Jersey (150 Bay Street, #3, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302, phone 201.798.7310).  Eigen Arts ceased operations in 2015 due to increasing costs and declining sales, but her pottery can still be found on line at sites like Amazon.  Her last Facebook post quoted Doctor Seuss, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”