My City July 2021

MYARTS

S uellen J. Parker, a lawyer by profession, but making art is where her heart is.The talented artisan is the owner of Case Island Glass LLC, specializing in kiln-formed, midcentu ry modern glassware. All of the designs are handmade from Bullseye Glass, a manufacturer in Oregon that supplies raw art glass for fused glass makers. Parker, who is married to Patric Parker, a partner at Simon, Figura & Parker (chosen Best Law well-known attorney in Genesee County’s legal community, may be a

Firm in the My City 2021 City’s Choice Artist Ar ist at Heart BY CHERYL DENNISON x PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SUELLEN PARKER

in Massachusetts in 1978 and also worked at a pottery studio as a pro duction potter (mass-producing coffee mugs). When she returned to Michi gan in the early 80s, she sold pottery to a gallery in Birmingham. After going through a divorce and raising three boys on her own, Parker went to law school and earned her Ju ris Doctorate. “You don’t make much money selling pottery,” she says with a smile. She continued her education at DCL College of Law (now at Michi gan State University). “I became a lawyer,” she says, adding that she was the first female attorney at the Flint firm of Winegarden, Shedd, Haley,

Awards) and popular local musician. She has three adult sons – Charles, Tom and Joey Boike – from a prior marriage. Born and raised in Flint, she attended Flint Powers Catholic High School and became interested in art at age eight when she won a scholarship to the Flint Institute of Arts where she started taking pottery classes. She obtained a degree at Boston College

SUELLEN PARKER

34

MYCITYMAG.COM