Courses Courses

Ceramics: Image, Pattern + Surface in Clay

Course No. CER 202-302-402  Credits: 3.0

This class will concentrate on the integration of form and surface using drawing, painting, pattern and mark making on ceramics. We will use ceramic materials, print processes, decals and digital imagery on both two and three dimensional clay objects. We will research historical and current ceramic works and the technology of image making on clay to invent a personal narrative. Required of all Ceramic Majors. Some clay working experience is suggested. 3 credits.

Intro Ceramics: Material + Making

Course No. CER 204  Credits: 3.0

Clay appears in all cultures throughout history. This malleable material simultaneously achieves our needs of utility and self-expression, merging form and surface. In this introductory course, students will develop skills in forming methods including hand building, extrusion, slab construction and the potter’s wheel. We will look at the rich history of ceramics across cultures spanning thousands of years to inform our explorations in forming and surfaces. Students will gain an understanding of ceramic materials through testing and making. 3 credits.

Ceramics: Color

Course No. CER 235-335-435  Credits: 3.0

Color is one of the most expressive and emotional elements of art and design. We use color to communicate feelings, create mood, warn of danger, attract attention and to feel comfort. When combined, colors tell a story, create patterns and images. This course will focus on color in ceramics. The combination of color, pattern and surface will be explored through assigned and proposed projects. Throughout this course students practice glaze formulation and testing to work towards a personal pallet of colors used in their own work. 3 credits.

Ceramics: The Potter’s Wheel + Production

Course No. CER 240-340-440  Credits: 3.0

Students will work in series and iterations to create sets, vessels, server ware and presentation pieces in clay. The potter's wheel is an important tool for artists and designers who want to assemble forms using multiple parts. Production techniques will enable students to create multiples, work efficiently and develop a distinct style. Glaze making, glazing and kiln firing will be incorporated into this course. Lectures on historical and contemporary ceramic works will be included to further help students create a personal direction. 3 credits.

Ceramics: Advanced Handbuilding

Course No. CER 243-343-443  Credits: 3.0

This course will explore basic and advanced hand-building techniques to explore individual investigation of clay for personal ideation and concepts. We will make glazes, fire kilns and explore ceramic history. We will cover all types of work from utility to sculpture and its relationship to site and place. The class will research and test various ceramic materials, clay bodies and surface treatments. 3 credits.

Ceramics: Design

Course No. CER 245-345-445  Credits: 3.0

Design is everywhere. Everything you see and everything you touch is the result of design. Nature is designed. Natural systems work together in harmony to provide light, sustenance, pollination, shelter and procreation. Our Built environment provides these same things; sometimes in harmony and often in opposition. Ceramics stands firmly, contributing to shelter, light and sustenance. A brick, a lamp, a bowl. These things were designed in various forms over millennia and are recognized by everyone for their purpose. In this course, we will examine the design of historical objects and the forms they take. With this knowledge, we will design contemporary objects for the contemporary world we live in. 3 credits.

Ceramics: Mold Making + Multiples

Course No. CER 248-348-448  Credits: 3.0

This class will be engaged with the concepts of multiples in the making of functional, sculptural and design works. Mold making, slip casting, press molds and other production techniques will be utilized. Emphasis is on design and exploration of form through modeling by hand and machine. 3D modeling and digital fabrication may be explored. There will be lectures that address technical issues and artworks made of clay, both historical and contemporary. 3 credits.

Ceramics Architectonic Clay + Ceramic Sculpture

Course No. CER 250-350-450  Credits: 3.0

We will use clay to explore natural and man-made forms as they relate to the body, architecture, ritual and culture. Students will utilize hand-building techniques, constructing abstract and representational objects, sculpture and vessels. Work will be informed by natural systems, the man-made environment, the human form and the endless possibilities of clay. We will explore firing processes, clays, and glazes. 3 credits.