Ceramics/Pottery

Independent Study In Ceramics/Pottery

This curriculum in Ceramics is offered as two courses Ceramics/Pottery and Independent Study in Ceramics/Pottery. This allows the student to continue the study of the extremely diverse discipline of Ceramics in depth.
Level 9-12
Prerequisites- Ceramics/Pottery- FIVA prior to grade 10, unless waived.
Prerequisites- Independent Study in Ceramics/Pottery - Ceramics/ Pottery
Full Year - 1 credit

1. Course Descriptions

Ceramics/ Pottery

Designed for the student who chooses to work intensely with clay, this course teaches the skills and processes involved in pottery as well as other ways of working with clay. Various handbuilding techniques, work on the potter's wheel and the production of functional and non-functional as well as sculptural clay objects is taught.

Through this course students are able to focus on technical, historical, aesthetic, cultural and contemporary concerns of clay workers as they develop their own personal and artistic ways of working.

Independent Study In Ceramics/Pottery

This course is for students who desire a more intensive and individualized course in ceramics. The course involves further development of skills, increasing students' working knowledge of clays and glazes, and the production of more advanced clay works. The study of contemporary potters and clay artists, as well as the historical significance of clay objects is explored.

2. Course Components

Studio Work

Students learn to work with clay in a variety of ways. They produce clay objects which demonstrate a basic knowledge of handbuilding techniques (pinch, coil, slab, and direct modeling) and work on the potter's wheel as well as developing a personal response to clay.

In Ceramics/Pottery, as in all art courses, students must learn to draw on some of the basic sources for continuing growth and development throughout their lives: observation, memory, imagination, innovation, interaction, reflection, and independent thinking. The skills to use these resources are embedded in the work of the ceramics/pottery class.

Work with clay begins as a direct response to the material through pinching and manipulating the clay without the use of any tools other than the hands. Students learn skill and craftsmanship as they see how pressure, clay wetness, shrinkage and drying affect their work with clay. They produce a body of work of at least five objects which demonstrate their acquisition of this first basic skill. Since these first art works are generally organic in nature, a discussion of aesthetics is introduced during the first critique. The beauty and design found in natural forms, the individual concept of beauty and clay work which is visually interesting leads to a reinforcement of the basic tenets of art (elements and principles of design). This serves as the basis for the student to begin using a new language.

Students continue working in the other handbuilding techniques of coil or modular building, soft slab and hard slab, and are encouraged to develop a personal way of working. They work on the potter's wheel, learning the basic techniques of throwing cylinder and bowl forms. Students produce from two to five works in each of these methods. As technical skill is developed, the student produces a number of more complex works with strong personal expression. This work could include units in production in which craftsmanship and design are stressed as well as work which reflects study into the use of clay by contemporary clay workers.

Students learn various decorating and finishing techniques including: staining, glazing, primitive firing, raku firing, underglaze, overglaze and alternative decorating methods. Students learn how to make glazes from raw materials and the basic applications of glaze chemistry. They learn to fire electric kilns, use pyrometric cones in various types of firings, and to build and fire a primitive sawdust kiln.

The second semester of this curriculum focuses on study of the personal expression of the clay worker from primitive times to contemporary clay artists. Students continue to develop more advanced technical skills, both in handbuilding and on the potter's wheel. Projects such as teapots, series work, study of a specific culture or artist as well as work with various types of clays, glazes and other more complex decorating and firing techniques serve as a basis for this work. A substantial body of work which demonstrates this endeavor is produced. Through the development of technical skills, and a working knowledge of design, the student learns to communicate his/her experiences as a clay worker.

Historical and Cultural Knowledge

Within the study of any art form, students must learn and understand the significance of specific artists, movements, technological developments and cultural influences affecting our perception of that art form. The teaching of these areas must be woven within the studio and art criticism framework to create a balance that provides the student with a rich foundation of knowledge to use in the making, analysis and appreciation of art.

In Ceramics/Pottery students learn about the relationship of clay to humanity through various readings, lectures and magazine reviews. They keep a sketchbook in which weekly drawings and notes of ideas of ways of working with clay are kept. Reviews of slides, videotapes, books and magazine articles spanning topics which cross cultural and historical barriers give the student a true and broad perspective of how clay has been used in the past and is being used today throughout the world.

Students view slides, video tapes, visit museums and galleries and read articles on clay works from a comprehensive collection of books and magazines on the field of ceramics. They keep a journal/sketchbook in which they record ideas, collect images and draw sketches for future clay work. Students write responses to articles on various historical, cultural, technical topics as well as study the work of clay artists and potters in order to see the relationship between technique, idea, content and production.

Criticism

Criticism of clay objects which are both functional and sculptural is an important aspect of this course. Students respond to their own and other students work by using the descriptive, analytical and interpretive aspects of criticism in forming their judgments and opinions.These are done both as individual conferences and as group critiques.

Testing

Students are tested on their knowledge of the technical aspects of the study of ceramics. They are asked to write about ceramics from a historical and cultural sense as well as descriptive instructions for various techniques, and to interpret their own work as well as that of other clay artists.

Student evaluation is continuous throughout the course as work is being made. Individual conferencing and grading is done for work made, usually many times throughout its production.

3. Course Description

Studio Materials

Clay - Stoneware clay, cone 5-7 is the main clay body used in this course due to its range of workability and decorative possibilities. Other clays that are used include: whiteware, terra cotta, porcelain, and raku.
Glaze - Glazes that are used on the functional ceramics are made in the studio by the instructor and students. All of these glazes are lead free and are suitable for use on functional clay objects - cups, plates, bowls, pitchers, casseroles, serving dishes, etc. Other decorative glazes and underglazes, slips, overglazes, and stains are used as the aesthetic of the piece and the student dictate.

Tools - various tools such as needle tools, wooden modeling tools, trimming tools, fettling knives, potters knives, scraffito tools, elephant ear sponges, rolling pins, canvases,ware boards,cutting tools, ribs, and brushes are essential to a basic ceramics program. Aprons are also an essential article of clothing to provide.

Potter's wheels, slab roller, extruder, wedging boards are the basic equipment of a ceramics studio.Various storage buckets for glaze materials and clay storage are also necessary.

Kilns, kiln shelves, stilts, star stilts, pyrometric cones, heat resistant gloves, kiln wash, and kiln tongs are essential for firing and rendering permanent work made.

Reading Material

Books - There are approximately 45 titles ranging from texts, surveys and instructional to monographs of clay artists available in the studio area.

Magazines - Extensive collection of Ceramics Monthly as well as Studio Potter, American Ceramics, American Craft, Pottery Quarterly, Ceramic Review, Scholastic Art.
These magazines and books serve as a constant resource of information and exposure to the expansive realm of the study of the art of ceramics. In fact, they serve as a text in that students are required to use them constantly.

Visuals - Examples of work done in either the concept being studied or the techniques being used are available for motivation and appreciation.

Audio Visual Materials

Filmstrips - The Creative Potter. A Cup Is For Drinking, Handles, Basic Pottery, Raku.
Videotapes - Maria Martinez, Japanese Potters, Advanced Throwing Techniques, Beatrice Wood.
Slide Collection - Ceramics International, Student slides, slides of contemporary clay workers, primitive pottery; the collection is continuously updated.

Pottery - Examples of work done by students as well as professional clay artists which have been given as gifts illustrate various clay processes.

Field Trips

A necessary component of all art classes is the field trip to a museum or gallery to see actual art work. The experience is two-fold: not only are students able to respond to the size of the work and the quality of it, but they also learn about the function of a museum or gallery. Understanding that these places are available to them will encourage a life-long relationship with art.

Trips to Bowdoin College Art Museum to see the collection of early Greek, Chinese, and archaic ceramics as well as trips to other museums with applicable exhibits and Brunswick galleries to see contemporary clay work.

Visits to the studios of area potters and clay workers is encouraged. Occasionally apprenticeships can be arranged with these artists.

4. Student Expectations

Attendance

Most learning requires that students are actively involved in the process of making art.

Students must demonstrate satisfactory participation in class activities, including studio work, lectures, demonstrations, critiques and discussion. Since the studio experience cannot be reproduced, students are expected to be present in class. Following an absence, it is a student's responsibility to ask for makeup work and to spend time in the studio making up missed work.

Time

Work each week outside of class is expected, both on long term and short term assignments. Time spend during class must be spent on the processes of making art.

Presentation of Work

Students are expected to glaze or finish in some way each clay object they create. Work is presented to other class members in critiques and is periodically put on display in the case outside the library, or in a special exhibit in the library or art room.

Behavior

Appropriate behavior includes respect for other learners, school property, their own work, that of their peers, and the learning environment set by the teacher. Learning is the central activity in the classroom; student actions are expected to contribute to and support the plan for learning. When student actions detract from the learning situation, an offending student's grade will reflect the negative impact his/her actions have on the learning of other students in the class as well as his own.

Care of Books, Materials and Equipment

A student who loses, abuses, or destroys a book or any other course material or equipment that has been assigned to his or her care is responsible for its replacement costs. Students may be able to work in the art room to compensate for monetary losses when appropriate.

5. Evaluation

Grading Standards

In this course, student thinking, development of visual acuity, problem solving, and demonstration of skills in studio work are at the center of class activity. Grading is viewed in this context. Because the critique process is an important part of learning about art, students are expected to participate in the evaluation of their own work, as well as the work of others. As students become more aware of the language and process involved in making and looking at art, they will become more comfortable with self-assessment.
Teachers will assess student performance and progress, as evidenced by studio work, in class task commitment, homework, and daily preparation. Work is regularly reviewed to give students the opportunity to learn more through looking at their own work and the work of other students from different points of view.

The usual A B C D F system is used to grade student work each quarter. Work handed in late is subject to the penalty of a lower grade, or loss of credit for that work, as specified by individual teachers.

Student Outcomes

Students will understand the technical processes of working in clay.
Students will understand ways artists from various cultures and historical periods have used clay as an expressive medium.
Students will be able to recognize various applications of construction methods
and glaze applications,and understand how these clay works reflect the culture and time in which they were created.
Students will apply this understanding to create original clay works as solutions to technical or visual problems, or as an expression of an idea.

Course Evaluation

This course is evaluated through input from students and art department faculty. This includes discussions among teachers, students, parents and administrators. Teachers keep updated to new practices affecting their teaching area and methods through attending conferences, readings, and networking with other art educators.

www.mta75.org/curriculum/art/ceramics.html; rev 9.6.96