Amherst, MA – Michael Cohen passed away on January 9, 2026, at the age of 89, in Amherst. He had lived in Pelham for the previous 63 years, where he built a pottery studio with his then-wife, Harriet in 1972.
Michael was born on March 7, 1936, to Murray S. Cohen and Sadie (Lipson) Cohen in Boston. His older brother, Fred Cohen, passed away in 1990.
Michael was a renowned studio potter who attended, taught at, and helped build some of the most influential pottery schools in the U.S., including Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and Penland School of Crafts. After starting a studio in his mother’s basement, he later joined with Bill Wyman to open Herring Run Pottery in East Weymouth, MA. In 1964 he married Harriet Goodwin, also a potter. Together they started the first Cohen Pottery in New Ipswich, NH, before settling in Pelham.
Michael helped establish Studio Potter magazine and was a founder of the Asparagus Valley Potters Guild, which continues to support clay artists throughout the valley.
Michael’s functional pottery and sculpture are in the collections of museums across the U.S., including the Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, and the Smithsonian. After decades of making primarily functional pottery, he moved his focus to distinctive blue imprinted tiles, which he made with his son, Joshua.
Michael was also a photographer, trained by the army before being sent to Germany to be a military photographer. He later used these skills to photograph his own pottery and that of others. During his time in Europe he also visited many pottery studios, and later in life enjoyed traveling to Europe as a tourist.
Michael is survived by his ex-wife, Harriet Goodwin, and children Amanda Cohen and Joshua Cohen, Joshua’s partner Molly Falsetti-Yu, and her son Alex Yu. A celebration of life is planned for this spring.
His family would like to thank the Arbors at Amherst for all of their support during the last few years.
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