Susan Harnly Peterson (July 21, 1925, McPherson, Kansas – March 26, 2009, Scottsdale, Arizona)[1] was an American artist, ceramics teacher, author and professor.

Curious about every aspect of the creative process, she often spent weeks or months observing how an artist lived and worked.

[4] She was the host of an early educational television series, Wheels, Kilns, and Clay, with 54 episodes that were first broadcast 1964-1965 in Los Angeles by the CBS station KNXT-TV Channel 2.

Peterson's book publications include: "Shōji Hamada: A Potter's Way and Work",[7] "The Craft and Art of Clay",[8] and "The Living Tradition of Maria Martinez".

She also led summer sessions at the university-sponsored Idyllwild School of Music and Arts located in the San Jacinto Mountains.