This class is a continuation of ceramics 4610. It is an exploration of advanced work in throwing, hand-building, firing, and special topics with emphasis on individual artistic expression. It is to aid in the development of one’s own artistic methodology and conceptual pursuits using the ceramic medium as a form of visual communication.

Each student must complete the research project outlined below and on Canvas. This includes researching a contemporary ceramic artist and making a body of work derived from that artist’s techniques. You will also be responsible to present a PowerPoint presentation about your research at the end of the semester. You must also complete the mold making project. (See the assignments page or the ‘Project Description’ for the details).

A blank Calendar has been provided, and you must fill it in with your intended projects for the semester. Each student is required to hand in a written statement about the work they produce this term. View this as an artist statement. Advanced students are required to fire all their own work and are responsible for their own glazes (although you may use the studio glazes). You will need to load all your own work. If it is put on the community bisque shelves, I will not load it into a kiln for you. If you require assistance, please do not hesitate to ask. You may also use work from the community bisque shelves to help you fill your kiln.

Resource Materials (textbooks and journals)

• Functional Pottery, by Robin Hopper
• Creative Pottery: Innovative Techniques and Experimental Designs in Thrown and Handbuilt Ceramics, by Deb Schwartzkopf
• The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes: Glazing and Firing at Cones 4-7, by John Brit
• The Ceramics Bible Revised Edition, by Louisa Taylor
• The Mold Making Manual, by Jonathan Kaplin
• The Essential Guide to Moldmaking and Slipcasting, by Andrew Martin
• Mold Making for Ceramics, by Donald E. FrithP
• Extra / Ordinary: Craft and Contemporary Art, Edited by Maris Elena Buszek

Ceramic Journals:

• CERAMIC REVIEW
• CERAMICS ART AND PERCEPTION
• CERAMICS MONTHLY
• CERAMICS TECHNICAL
• NEW CERAMICS

Sketchbook and a drawing implement. Always bring these to class.

Clay. Clay is available in the ceramic studio, but you must acquire a receipt from the cashier’s office in the student center. The price is listed on the board in the studio. You may expect to use at minimum two bags of clay. Your course fees cover the cost of glaze, slips, firing and studio tools and upkeep.

Basic ceramic tool kit found at the SUU Bookstore or online.

Items not available in the basic kit that you will need include:

• A dust mask with cartridges (mandatory)
• A serrated rib
• Various watercolor or Chinese calligraphy paint brushes
• A small plastic container with a lid, such as a recycled yogurt or ice cream container.
• A large container for throwing (such as a one-gallon bucket).
• A small towel.
• An apron (if you do not want to get clay on your clothes)
• Various carving tools
• An x-acto Knife

Recommended supplementary tools: Surform tool, small carving tools. Online sources to order tools are: Mudtools, Tacoma Clay Art Center, Georgie’s Ceramic Supply. There are many.

This class emphasizes clay as a creative art material. Students learning outcomes are:

1. Students will demonstrate their own artistic vision and methodology through a highly focused course of study.
2. Students will practice integrative, critical and creative thinking skills by articulating their intentions and ideas in critiques and written form with their artist statement.
3. They will demonstrate their understanding of the creative process and how to apply it to future bodies of work.
4. They will begin or complete an individual portfolio with documentation and exhibition of their artistic pursuits.
5. They are expected to participate in end of term clean-up

Projects

The specific projects for this course will be determined by each individual with consultation and approval of the instructor. Your course work should be designed around the module of Contemporary Research where you will have to research a contemporary ceramic artist, present your research to the class, and make a derivative piece of your own from the artist you research. You must also complete the mold making project (see ‘Projects’ page on the home screen of Canvas or the list below in this document).

Homework

As you will be the designer of your study and projects, you will be responsible ‘getting everything finished’. As this is an advanced course, you will be required to work outside of class time. I would expect 6 hours a week, but most likely more.

Participation

Each student is required to participate in critiques, kiln loading and the end of term clean up as part of the curriculum. Completing or not completing these tasks will impact your grade.

Assessment/Grading

Grades are based on specific assignment criteria regarding technique, craftsmanship, design and conceptual development, explained in written and verbal form at the introduction of each assignment. Supplementary slide shows and technical demonstrations will help further your idea development and working skills.

I will use this Rubric for each of your individual projects:

Grading Criteria

Each Project will be assessed using the following metric:

1. Craftsmanship: this constitutes an understanding of the technique and intention. Pieces are made of a consistent thickness and desired shape. Rough and sharp edges are attended to.
   Points: 1 to 25
2. 2.Effort and Performance: The work shows effort. Perhaps the first attempt was unsuccessful, but the final piece was achieved through multiple variations or attempts. Class time was used wisely and out of class time was effective. The work was not produced last minute.
   Points: 1 to 25
3. Surface Treatment: Evidence of consideration given to the glazing and overall look of the work. Attempted several approaches to decorating with slips, underglazes and glazes.
   Points: 1 to 25
4. Followed all Requirements Outlined in the Project: Addressed all aspects requested in the assignment. Due dates were met, and critiques were attended and participated in.
   Points: 1 to 25

(25 is most successful, 1 is least successful)

It is expected that all pieces will be finished and glazed at the end for your final critique. Unglazed pieces constitute unfinished work and can receive no better than a “D”. It is expected that students will pay attention to glaze demos and invest as much in design and craftsmanship in the finishing as in the building. If pieces are glazed in a haphazard manner your grade will be affected negatively. Meeting deadlines is crucial to a successful outcome, failure to do so will affect your grade negatively.

I will give you an “in-process” grade after each critique. This grade is simply to give you feed-back of how you are performing in class. It is not a final grade. I cannot give you a final grade until all your work is fired and completed, and in this course that may not happen until the week of finals. This means your “in-process” grade may go up or down quite substantially.

If a piece gets lost or broken or dries out too much to work on it is your responsibility and you may have to re-make the piece.

Project Description for Advanced Ceramics 4620

Contemporary Derivation

Derivation: the obtaining or developing something from a source or origin.

All artists have primary influences – be they historical, contemporary or life experiences. Working artists over time develop concepts, methodologies, processes and tools in which to create their work. As such, tools and methodologies are just that – ways in which to create. A glaze or a clay body is no different than a pencil used to make a drawing, or a tube of oil paint used to make a painting. Your tools do not define who you are as an artist. It is how you use the tools that determine uniqueness and/or originality.

For this project you are to research one contemporary artist who works primarily in the medium of ceramics. Your research and your coursework should include the following:

1. A written report to be given as a PowerPoint presentation summarizing who the artist is, what kind of work they make, describe the concept of their work. You should also relate what historical context you determine they fit into. Plan at least 20 images and 10 minutes for the presentation. You will present your research on the last class day after the clean-up.
2. For your course load you must create a derivative body of work from the Contemporary Artist you chose to research. Specifically:
   If you choose a sculpture: You must make five pieces (no smaller than 15 inches but no larger than 20 inches). You must try to mimic the glaze or surface treatment of your researched artist. This means you are to adapt the methodologies and tools of your chosen artist and rework them to create something of your own. Your first piece may be an attempt to directly remake a piece of your chosen artist, but the next 4 pieces should demonstrate derivation. The final piece should be so far removed that it starts to become a visual vocabulary of your own. The ultimate goal of this process is for you to develop new ‘tools’ and methodologies in your artistic practice. Thus, when selecting an artist to research, think of forms, subject matter, or surface treatments you are interested in learning how to use and incorporate into your own methodologies.
   If you chose a Functional Wheel thrown or Functional based hand-building artist: You should make 10 small bowl forms, 10 mug forms, 3 large bowl forms, 10 lidded forms, 5 vase forms, 5 pitcher forms and 5 teapot forms. You may choose 1 to 3 forms to replicate (for example, you may choose one mug, one bowl and one teapot form), but the work from there on must demonstrate derivation of the piece you have chosen to replicate. You must try to mimic the glaze or surface treatment of your researched artist. This means you are to adapt the methodologies and tools of your chosen artist and rework them to create something of your own. The ultimate goal of this process is for you to develop new ‘tools’ and methodologies in your artistic practice. Thus, when selecting an artist to research, think of forms, subject matter, or surface treatments you are interested in learning how to use and incorporate into your own methodologies.
   Note: As each artist will contain differing amounts of complexity, the amounts given above in the course work are only guidelines of the expectations for this course. I will work with each of you individually to prepare a specific schedule for content of the coursework. Your grade will be determined from the specifications outlined in the calendar we devise. Meaning, did you complete all the work? Was it completed on time? This is an advanced course so expectations are that you will complete a course load that is equivalent to or exceeds that of the intermediate course.

Mold Module:

You must also complete the mold making module. The mold making may or may not fit with your ‘Derivation’ project.

For this project you must make two molds. You can choose to make a cup with a handle or propose two forms to be used sculpturally or in in combination with a thrown form – such as knobs for a lid, a spout for a teapot, a handle for a teapot, or various forms to be used with a sculpture.

OR, if you have already taken this course and completed this project you must choose to do one of the following:

1. Dinnerware for 4: You must design and make a complete dinnerware set to serve at minimum 4 people. The set should be designed around a specific menu and include things such as a centerpiece, small vases pitchers, creamers, gravy boats, desert trays, cake tray, candelabras just to give a few examples. Some research will prove invaluable. For final crit you MUST set up your dinnerware set on one of the tables in the hand building area. You may want to include some kind of table cover as well. Your set may be fully utilitarian, or it could become more of a metaphorical statement such as Judy Chicago’s “Dinner Party” that was designed to celebrate feminist ideas and femininity. All the pieces may be constructed on the wheel or hand built OR a combination of both. Slip casting is also an option.
2. Comic Strip Narrative: You must create a narrative body of sculpture that functions as one piece. You must have a minimum of 5 pieces. Think how a comic strip functions with each scene leading to the next to complete a story. Thus, one sculpture should lead to the next. You choose the concept. Your final ‘Piece’ must be set-up on one of the tables in the hand building area. You may want to include some kind of table covering. The covering could also be part of the piece – for example, what if you made enough tiles to cover the whole table and each tile had something carved or painted on it. You can choose whatever technique suits your ideas to create each piece.

• Last wet clay day April 3rd !!! This means no joining clay, trimming, carving or anything that entails constructing a piece. Because you are responsible for your own firings, this date may or may not apply. Just note, that kilns will be prioritized according to the instructors needs.
• The final Exam for this course is scheduled for: Wednesday, Aprill 22nd from 7 am to 8:50am. Attendance at the final exam time is mandatory. Schedule any departures after this date!!!
• April 15th is MANDATORY STUDIO CLEAN-UP DAY: The last day of regularly scheduled class.

All work to be fired must be FINISHED AND SIGNED or it will get tossed.

ALL WORK MUST BE CLAIMED BY LAST DAY OF EACH TERM, AFTER THIS DAY IT WILL BE THROWN AWAY. WE SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE ROOM TO STORE WORK.

LOCKERS MUST BE EMPTIED BY THE LAST DAY OF THE TERM.

Because this is a Face-to-Face studio course it mandates you be in the studio to accomplish your projects for the class. Attendance is crucial to doing well in this course. Therefore, there is an attendance policy - if you miss class more than one quarter of the class sessions you cannot receive better than a C-. For this class that would amount to 7 absences. This is the Art and Design policy. If you have an emergency or are sick, please contact me via email and we can make accommodations. You must be present in the studio for at least half of the class for it to count as being present. However, I have determined that if your grade can be affected by too many absences, then it should be rewarded if you have zero absences. Thus, I will raise your grade by 5% if you make it all the way through the semester without missing one class session.

Zoom Sessions:

This is strictly a Face-to Face course. I am not going to live stream the class on Zoom. However, I am going to use Zoom to record the demonstrations for anyone who has missed class or would like to review the content, because it is not possible for me to repeat demos. You may review the videos in the recorded Zoom sessions on Canvas. You may be able to log on to Zoom while the demo is being recorded, but it will still be counted as an absence.

Clay is available in the ceramic studio, but you must acquire a receipt from the cashier’s office in the student center. The price is listed on the board in the studio. You may expect to use at minimum two bags of clay.

Your course fees cover the cost of glaze, slips, firing and studio tools and upkeep.

The Ceramics studio will be open outside of scheduled class times. The door is unlocked from 8am to 5pm. After which, students can access the room with their ID cards and can work until 11:30. To stay longer you need to acquire an after-hours permit.

If you wish to use the studio during a regular class session, you must seek the permission of the instructor. Work time during another class is a privilege, not a right; it is based on available space and the prerogative of the instructor. If you are disruptive, you may be asked to leave.

Work in clay is demanding of your attention and your time. Therefore, we do everything in our power to provide you with as much access to the studio as possible. You should expect to spend time outside of the scheduled class to succeed in this ceramics course.