Cathy Bailey of HEATH Ceramics has frequented this blog for a number of years as a friend and a colleague. After loving her work (and her) from afar, we were fortunate to collaborate with HEATH Ceramics to produce a line of table and dinner wares that were launched last fall.

Cathy (her husband, Robin), and I share much of the same passion about design, craft, and local production. Next week, Cathy and I will share the stage at the Standard Talks. This coming Tuesday, Alabama Chanin presents MAKESHIFT: Shifting Thoughts on Design, Fashion, Craft, and DIY, our first event in a series of many as we continue a conversation on the intersection of design, fashion, craft, and DIY.

Heath Ceramics: An impressive view from within from Heath Ceramics on Vimeo.

Cathy plans to speak on “making” and how to learn from and explore these experiences. She might also bring a few surprises for the audience.

From the MAKESHIFT site:

In 2003, together with her husband, Robin Petravic, Catherine purchased Heath Ceramics at the end of a quest to build a more satisfying and tangible design life that brought back together the aspects of designing and making. Since that time, Catherine has led the company to become recognized as a design leader and model for bringing together manufacturing, design, and responsible business practices as a combination leading to long-term business viability.

Today she works to steer Heathʼs concepts, product and brand direction while honoring the history and craft of Edith Heath. In addition to overseeing all design, PR, and guiding Heathʼs exposure, she also shares responsibility for setting the overall company direction and vision. Under her direction, Heath Ceramics has received the Henry award from the California Museum of Design in 2007; Bon Appetitʼs Designer of the Year award in 2008; and has been a finalist for the Cooper-Hewitt National Design award in corporate achievement in 2011 and 2009.

Prior to her work at Heath, Catherine founded a product design consultancy – One & Co. (1995) and grew the company into an industrial design consultancy with new focus that looked at products from a lifestyle perspective while providing engineering to back up their innovations. She became known for her ability to provide solutions that connected products to culture and made them desirable to customers. Her clients ranged from Microsoft and Palm to Burton Snowboards and Apple. Prior to founding One and Co., Catherine was a footwear designer at Nike in Portland Oregon.

Catherine holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design from Syracuse University, and also has studied environmental design and fine arts.