Vince Pitelka - wpitelka@tntech.edu
Office Hrs. - Tues., Thurs. 1:30-2:30 - Phone: Office - 931/372-3051 Ext. 111
or 615/597-6801 Ext. 111, Home - 615/597-5376

Art 3520b - Intermediate-Advanced Clay Studio - Syllabus
Ceramic History

Students With Disabilities requiring accommodations should contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS). An Accommodation Request (AR) should be completed as soon as possible, preferably by the end of the first week of the course. The ODS is located in the Roaden University Center, Room 112; phone 372-6119.

Preface
The 3520-3521 Advanced Studio course should be viewed as a platform for transition into the real world.  In order to do so, you need to define your purpose in being here at the Craft Center, and your objectives once you leave this protected, idyllic environment.  Think about the following questions.  What does it mean to be a professional artist/craftsperson today?  Do you draw satisfaction from most aspects of the work? What does making art do for you?  What do you want to say through your artwork, or to put it another way, what do you want to accomplish with your art?  How will that accomplishment affect the lives of others?  For you, what constitutes an ideal quality of life? How and where do you want to live?  Are you comfortable with the idea of working long hours in your own studio in order to earn a decent income?  

The most noble and productive things you can accomplish here at the Craft Center are to answer the above questions realistically, and to aggressively grasp all the skills and information you can manage.  If you have not already done so, you must figure out how art fits into your life, and unless you are independently wealthy, you must figure out how you as an artist fit into the contemporary world. 

From a theoretical point of view, everyone is an artist subconsciously, but most people suppress it early in life. Kids make art naturally and readily, until well-meaning (or not) parents and teachers start directing them and criticizing their work, defining what art is and is not.  We in this room are among the small and fortunate segment of society who have survived that early experience, and have retained or revived our commitment to art and craftsmanship.

Art at best is the spontaneous product of inner drive and intuition - a natural visual communication that arises from the psychological, emotional, and physical conditions and experience that make us who we are as individuals. It makes no difference whether we are talking about pots or paintings. To be successful and satisfied as an artist, you must make work that arises from those personal conditions and experiences, and that speaks to the viewer or user and thus stands out in exhibition and marketplace.

Required Texts:
Pitelka, Vince. Clay: A Studio Handbook, American Ceramics Society, 2001

Course Description
Art 3520b is an intermediate-advanced studio course focusing on your personal involvement with clay, the development of studio skills, and the development and furthering of individual stylistic concept. Offered every fall semester, this course has a secondary emphasis which toggles back and forth between surface design and ceramic history/aesthetics. Studio demonstrations will be on an as-needed or as-requested basis, and may cover any part of the ceramic process, tailored to your needs. 

Ceramic History Emphasis
Through the semester we will have a series of weekly slide lectures exploring the history of ceramics worldwide.  There will also be several assignments associated with the historical periods we are studying.  In these assignments you will select a specific type of work from that particular culture and historical period, research the work, and incorporate the information into a studio project.  We will have midterm and final exams covering this component of the course.  

The Project Proposal
During the first week we will discuss possible directions each of you intend to follow in this course, and the end of the second week you will submit a typewritten project proposal that you and I will mutually agree upon.  This need not be a lengthy proposal, but do not take it lightly.  It is essential that you start the semester with a clear plan of where you intend to go with your work.  

In essence, your project proposal becomes an extension of this syllabus, and carries the same weight.  The proposal should include a brief narrative of general direction and intent, and then should include a brief schedule dividing the semester into fourths, projecting some idea of what you will accomplish by midterm and by finals. This should include at least two complete cycles of making and firing work. 

The project proposal can be multi-faceted. If you are an intermediate-level student your proposal should emphasize exploration of form and technique in a particular area, but it should also include work in other areas where you need development or have particular interests. If you are an advanced student, your project proposal will focus on the primary direction in your work, but you must continue to inventory your knowledge and skills. For all students, as the semester proceeds your work and your priorities may evolve considerably, and in that event you may need to redefine your project proposal and resubmit it at mid-semester.

Inventorying Your Knowledge and Skills
As you proceed through the 3520-21 course sequence, it is important to periodically take inventory of the skills and techniques you have explored, and purposefully address your weaknesses. As much as possible I will try to recognize your needs and provide information and assistance in a timely fashion, but because of the broad range of skill levels in one class this presents a special challenge, and I rely on you to consciously deal with this issue and to ask for help whenever you need it. It is too easy for an emerging artist to settle into a narrow stylistic direction based upon limited proficiency in materials and techniques, without ever experiencing a broad range of possibility. The resulting work generally betrays a shallowness of method and material, and the artist may soon experience serious studio burn-out. 

Your work will reach its full potential only if it arises from broad exploration and experimentation. Examine the accompanying skill inventory list, and put it to good use.  Keep it with your ceramics handouts, and refer to it often.  Don't be intimidated by it. You do not need to be an expert in all these areas, but you should be acquainted with all of them. The pursuit of knowledge is habit forming, and if you already know a little about something it makes it much easier to find out more later on. Also, you will be far more sure of your own stylistic direction if it arises from broad fluency in ceramic materials, processes, and forms. It is what you don't know that holds you back. 

Deciding What Direction To Go With Your Work
This is the most important decision you can make as an artist. Your work can and should evolve over time, but at any point it should arise from a purposeful sense of direction. Do work you feel committed to, but examine that commitment. As indicated above, think about your role as an artist/artisan, and consider what it is that you want to do and say with your work. Are the content and direction of your work here at the ACC consistent with your long-term objectives? Whatever your primary direction, always continue to experiment and explore in order to broaden your technical and aesthetic horizons. Get into this habit now, and continue it throughout your involvement in the arts.

Content and Narrative
Whether your intent is narrative figurative sculpture or fine utilitarian pots, issues of content and narrative are central. Unless your work "speaks" to the user or viewer with authority and originality, it will be seen as ordinary. We easily respond to content when the work is obviously narrative, but you must always remember that intent and content are critically important no matter what kind of work you are doing in any medium.  Even the simplest pot speaks volumes (no pun intended), and if utility is a primary concern, you must consider the degree to which your work visually communicates its function and invites use.  

As you are searching for an honest personal direction in your work, don't be afraid to take chances.  Make work that connects with personal commitments and concerns. Experiment with expressive surface effects and see what happens. Don't settle for work that doesn't say what you are trying to say.

How Much Work Should You Do In This Class?
The amount of work you do is up to you, but there is no substitute for practice.  You have to make an enormous amount of work over time to become an autonomous, confident studio artist.  There are no shortcuts in this regard.  From quantity production comes fluency in the media and the willingness to take risks, and from risk-taking comes the most productive learning.  If your primary work is large scale, be sure that you are always producing volumes of smaller work as well in order to try out new ideas and techniques.  

A great shortcoming of American public education is that it teaches response rather than initiative, or, it teaches reactive rather than proactive learning. It teaches you to follow directions rather than originate direction. As professional clay artists in the real world you must take initiative and work very hard in the studio and marketplace. If you have made the right choice and are genuinely dedicated, the studio involvement and commitment should come easy. But consider this: if the willingness to work very hard in the studio comes as a struggle here at the Craft Center, then it is probably unrealistic to expect that the necessary motivation and self-direction will somehow materialize once you are out of school.  Your impending success as a clay artist hinges upon your level of accomplishment and involvement here.

Studio Time
We will spend a considerable amount of in-class time on lectures, discussions, and reviews, but there will usually be some work time during every class period.  Put it to good use, and be in your studio area working after every lecture or discussion, and for the duration of the class period.  Expect to put in at least six hours per week outside of class in order to make satisfactory progress on your work.  Establish a regular work schedule and stick to it.  

The Question of Scale
Scale is a critical consideration in all artwork. Working large tests our skill, and may be necessary to our intent, but the way the work speaks to us depends on many factors, and some work demands small size. Carefully consider this issue, and make sure that the scale of your work is appropriate for what you are trying to say. If you decide that working big is right for you, then go all the way. We have a broad range of kilns, but none that are really huge. That need not limit you, because your work can be made in sections to be assembled when fired.

Choice of Materials in Your Work
For your own work, carefully select the clays, slips, and glazes appropriate to practical utility, visual effect, and/or narrative intent.  But remember that you can use anything at all in addition to traditional ceramic materials. In contemporary ceramics, mixed media combinations are a critical issue.  Some non-ceramic materials will survive the firing, and can be incorporated into the damp clay work (consider shrinkage).  A wide variety of other materials (almost anything!) can be incorporated into the work after the firing.  Use materials that are appropriate to your intent and content. 

A limited supply of commercial underglazes, glazes, and lusters are available at Mid-South Ceramics in Nashville, and an unlimited range is of course available online.  Consult the chapter in the text on mixed media in ceramics

Access to Information Outside of Class
If you are unsure of something or need information feel free to seek me out at any time in or out of class. If I'm not here, call me at home or email me. Our artists-in-residence serve as backup faculty, and are available to provide you with information and help out with your work.  

Keep your text and sketchbook around at all times so you can consult them when the need arises. My book has an excellent glossary of ceramic terminology and a separate glossary of ceramic raw materials.  Put both to good use.  And make use of the library!  We have such a wonderful library here at the Craft Center, containing a great collection of books and all the major contemporary fine craft magazines.  I expect you to spend time in the library regularly keeping track of what is going on in the clay world, and I expect you to bring that information into our discussions.  If you talk about your work and the work of others within the broader context of historical and contemporary clay, I will notice. 

The Sketchbook
Purchase a good-quality artist's sketchbook (not lined paper), and use it to develop your ideas and to provide a place for technical notes, kiln sketches, glaze recipes, etc.  Adapt the sketchbook to your individual needs.  I will not collect them for grading, but I will expect to see you using them.  

Contacting You Via Email
I will occasionally send you messages via the TTU email distribution list for this class.  This has become a preferred means of getting class information to students, and it is your responsibility to check your email daily.  If you use another email address, then set your TTU email address to forward to your preferred address.  You will be responsible for any information sent to you via the TTU email distribution list for this class.

Determining Your Grade
 70% of your grade depends on energetic involvement in your studio work in a project series mutually agreed upon by you and me, and completion of class assignments. Creativity, productivity, and originality will be generously rewarded. 15% depends on proactive participation in the studio dynamic, including general cooperation with me and other students, active involvement in class discussions and group reviews, responsibility in firings (loading, firing, unloading, cleanup, all in a timely fashion), and general studio cleanup. 10% depends on the written take-home midterm and final exams covering ceramic history.

Individual and Group Reviews
Once at midterms and again at finals we will schedule individual and group reviews to evaluate and document your progress. On a periodic basis we may schedule informal group reviews to compare notes about what everyone is doing. The midterm and final reviews are as important as midterm and final exams in any course, and attendance is mandatory.  

As mentioned above, your participation in reviews (both your own and others) will be considered in your grade.  Please do not hesitate to ask questions or make comments.  If you do not participate, you diminish the effectiveness of someone else's review.  

Required and Recommended Tools and Supplies
By now you own a good range of ceramic tools, and you should add to your collection every semester. We have lots of tools in the gallery, and there is a broad range available online and in catalogs.  Some very fine clay tools are being imported from China and Korea, and are available online (chineseclayart.com) and through some catalogs. If you are trying to save money, consult "Clay Studio Tools: Buy, Make, Fine, Improvise" in the chapter 10 of the text. The following represents a list of essential studio tools and supplies.