Ceramics

Ceramics is housed in a well-equipped 6,250 square foot building, next door to the Bobbitt Visual Arts Center. Students have access to the building 24 hours a day. The main studio has 13 electric wheels, ample storage space for students to store their works in progress, and lots of work tables for hand building and sculptural projects. The facility has its own clay making operation, which allows the students to work in a variety of different clay bodies or to mix up and test new recipes. In the glaze room, students will find the full complement of materials necessary to create any type of glaze. Firing is done in an adjacent room. The kiln room has three large gas fired kilns, a wood kiln, two portable raku kilns and four electric kilns of varying sizes. By the second semester students are firing the gas and wood kilns, with supervision, until they completely understand the process.

Courses

261 Ceramics I
An introduction to ceramics as an art form. Begins with basic hand-forming and conceptual problem-solving in clay and then covers throwing, glazing and various firing methods.

361 Ceramics II
A continuation of Ceramics I with more advanced work in ceramic processes and theories including clay and glaze formulation. Students will be expected to become involved with the more technical aspects of ceramics, including firing gas kilns and wood firing in the spring. Emphasis is also placed on development of personal expression and direction with the medium. Prerequisite: Art 261

362 Ceramics III
Advanced problems in ceramic design. Prerequisite: Art 361

363 Ceramics Workshop I
Each semester students will explore a different technical and/or aesthetic subject of the ceramic processes on an individualized basis. Prerequisite: Art 362

364 Ceramics Workshop II
An emphasis is placed on the student's development in an area of personal interest. Prerequisite: Art 363

365 Ceramics Workshop III
Continuation of Ceramics Workshop II. A strong body of work accompanied by a group of slides and a written thesis will be presented to the art faculty for review. Prerequisite: Art 364

381 Process: Ceramics - 1/2 unit
Any semester after a student has taken Art 261, students may sign up for this 1/2 unit course in ceramic process.