Adele Y. Schonbrun

Adele Y. Schonbrun (January 30, 1941 – May 28, 2017) was an American artist. She worked in various mediums, but is most known for her use of clay as a means of creative expression.

Schonbrun's work is in the permanent collections of museums in France, Japan and the United States. Of note, the Renwick Gallery in the Smithsonian American Art Museum owns Schonbrun's porcelain necktie sculpture, titled T.G.I.F. Her work is also owned by the International Museum of Ceramics in Vallauris, France.

Early life and education
Schonbrun was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Helena Zander Yanco and Renauld Theodore Yanco. In 1958, she graduated from Roslindale High School.

She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1962 from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Masters of Fine Arts in 1965 from Claremont Graduate School at Scripps College where she studied ceramics with Paul Soldner. Schonbrun remained intrigued by Soldner's ongoing endeavors to shift ceramics from its utilitarian and practical origins toward forms of imaginative and deeply personal artistic expression.

Career
In 1984, Schonbrun won third place in the prestigious Biennale Internationale de Ceramique d'Art in Vallauris, France. Her award winning piece, an elaborate porcelain bed, became part of the permanent collection of Magnelli Museum, the Museum of Ceramics, Vallauris, France, which sponsors the competition. The competition strives to inspire, endorse, and recognize gifted ceramic artists. It aims to highlight the multifaceted applications of this medium, and commemorate the artistic expressions that encompass various prevailing trends.

Schonbrun taught ceramics at Berea College, Colorado College, and Connecticut College.

Personal life
Schönbrun was married to Stanley Schonbrun. They have two daughters and a grandson.

As a child Schonbrun lived in Boston and summered on Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts. She also lived in Rhode Island, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Colorado. In 2017, she died in Oak Bluffs,on Martha's Vineyard from Alzheimer's disease.