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Fine Arts · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Sculptural Ceramics

Clay is structural. This course liberates students from the pottery wheel, focusing entirely on hand-building techniques to create large-scale sculptural works. Students will learn engineering principles for clay—internal armatures, buttressing, and hollow building—to defy gravity. The curriculum explores abstract form, the figure, and installation art, emphasizing personal expression over utility.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Master advanced hand-building: Coil, Slab, and Pinch methods for large scale
  2. Understand structural engineering in clay: Wall thickness and internal supports
  3. Explore surface treatments that are non-functional (cratering, crawling glazes)
  4. Develop a conceptual body of work that addresses contemporary themes
  5. Execute proper drying and firing schedules for thick/large sculptural pieces
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01Beyond the Vessel: Clay as Sculpture
  2. 02Engineering Clay: Paper Clay & Grogged Bodies
  3. 03Coiling for Height: The Totem
  4. 04Slab Building: Geometric & Architectural Forms
  5. 05Hollow Building: The Closed Form
  6. 06Armatures (Temporary): Building Supports
  7. 07Organic Forms: Biomimicry in Clay
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09The Figure in Clay: Stylized vs. Realistic
  10. 10Surface Texture: Carving & Impressing
  11. 11Glazing Sculpture: Spraying & Pouring
  12. 12Dry Glazes & Engobes
  13. 13Installation: Multiple Components
  14. 14Repair Techniques: Epoxies & Kintsugi
  15. 15Critique: Context & Meaning
  16. 16Final Project: The Sculptural Installation

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Sculptural Installation

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Ceramic Sculpture by Campbell Hylton
  2. The Figure in Clay: Contemporary Sculpting Techniques by Lark Books
  3. Sculpture Techniques by Bill H. Wilson
  4. Finding One's Way with Clay by Paulus Berensohn
  5. Vitamin C: Clay and Ceramic in Contemporary Art (Phaidon)
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