ART 145 - Ceramics 1

3 credit hours - Two hours of lecture and two hours of studio weekly; one term.
This course meets the Arts & Humanities General Education Requirement.

Learn a variety of approaches to making art using clay as the medium. Explore the history, design concepts and studio methods used to make sculptural and functional ceramic forms. Develop skills in hand-building, the potter’s wheel, simple molds and glaze application. Explore ways of evaluating the aesthetic value of work. No previous art instruction is necessary. Lab fee $55.

Crosslisted: Also offered as ART 145H ; credit is not given for both ART 145 and ART 145H .

Note: Typically offered at MC; fall, spring, and summer terms.

Course Outcomes:

Identify three different clay bodies.
Identify five stages of clay from forming through final firing.
Identify different kinds of kilns and describe the basic process of firing ceramic pieces.
Identify the basic components of ceramic glazes.
Identify the elements and principles of design.
Design an overall plan for the process of making a ceramic art form.
Construct a variety of functional and sculptural ceramic forms using the potter’s wheel and several hand-building techniques.
Decorate clay forms using a variety of surface treatment
Use the elements and principles of design to create unified and expressive ceramic forms.
Employ appropriate safety techniques.
Analyze how ceramic methods, elements and principles of design were used to create ceramic forms and forms made by others.
Discuss objective and subjective ways of evaluating ceramic art works based on the use of ceramic methods, design concepts and the ability of the piece to communicate.
Identify characteristic ceramic pieces made in a variety of geographic locations and time frames, and by specific contemporary artists.
Describe the key roles that ceramic objects have played in the development of technology and human culture.