Ceramics 1

Country Day Upper School Home[ Design from Nature ] [ Clay Info ] [ Glaze Info ] [ Firing & Temperatures ] [ Materials in Studio ]

Objectives:  Students will:    

• Begin to develop a personal style of working with clay.

• Become knowledgeable about clay, glazes, and the firing process.

• Students will become familiar with selected styles of Pre-Columbian  and contemporary ceramic art.

• There will be five assigned projects, a test on clays, and a final test on clays and glazes.

• The two field trips are mandatory, unless the student has a written excuse from the parent.

• Students are required to keep a workbook with sketches, lecture notes and writing assignments which will be reviewed periodically.

• There will be two research/writing assignments.

Unit 1 Properties of various clays.

• Building a vocabulary of form and technique – pinch pots and coiling, slip decoration, burnishing, sgraffito.

Pre-Columbian ceramics.

• Mandatory field trip to Mint Museum, to see the Robicsek Collection of Pre-Columbian ceramics (see Collections,  Arts of Ancient Americas)

• Test on clays. 

Unit 2 The potter's wheel, basic techniques.

Unit 3 Glazes, basic chemistry and application techniques.

• Test on clays and glazes

Unit 4 The vessel as an abstract form/the pot as a functional object.  TEAPOTS!

Written assignment 1

Choose from one of the following topics and write a research paper (approximately three pages text, one page illustrations) to present to the class: 

• Japanese tea ceremony and the influence of Zen on Japanese ceramics,
• the English traditions of tea drinking and how English teapots have developed over the centuries,
• contemporary American teapots: functional,non-functional,funky. 

Whichever topic you choose, make sure you discuss and illustrate the ceramics involved, not just the customs, traditions and history.

• More techniques: wheel and slab.

  Unit 5 Contemporary ceramics and final projects. 

• Combining techniques.
• Color and glaze.
• Mandatory field trip to Mint  Museum of Crafts and Design
• Written assignment 2
  • Magazine article review.  You will choose an article about a contemporary ceramic artist whose work you like and write a report (about one page) to present to the class.

• Project grades = 80%
• Test on clays = 10%
• Written work = 10%
• Extra credit = as much as 5%*

• Project grades = 75%
• Test on clays and glazes = 15%
• Written work = 10%
• Extra credit = as much as 5%*

*Extra credit:  Students may visit a gallery or museum and do an outlined activity.

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