Joseph Merrick had nothing to do with The Elephant Man movie.
Harue Oyama McVay -LRB- born 1928 -RRB- is a ceramist born in Honolulu , Hawaii .. While growing up , she had the opportunity to watch the landscape painter D. Howard Hitchcock -LRB- 1861 -- 1943 -RRB- , who rented his studio from the Oyama family .. D. Howard Hitchcock. D. Howard Hitchcock. As an undergraduate at the University of Hawaii , she enrolled in a ceramics class taught by Claude Horan .. University of Hawaii. University of Hawaii. Claude Horan. Claude Horan. She graduated from the university in 1950 and earned an MA from Ohio State University in 1951 .. Ohio State University. Ohio State University. She taught at the University of Hawaii from 1951 until 1993 , when she retired as a professor emeritus .. University of Hawaii. University of Hawaii. McVay is best known for starting with wheel thrown clay and then manipulating it , often into organic forms .. The Hawaii State Art Museum , the Honolulu Museum of Art , the Museum of Arts and Design -LRB- New York City -RRB- , and the Smithsonian American Art Museum are among the public collections holding work by Harue Oyama McVay .. Hawaii State Art Museum. Hawaii State Art Museum. Honolulu Museum of Art. Honolulu Museum of Art. Museum of Arts and Design. Museum of Arts and Design. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Smithsonian American Art Museum