Ceramics

Ceramics as a discipline has always been positioned between art and craft, painting and sculpture, aesthetics and utility. Graduate students in ceramics embrace these contradictions, creating all forms of ceramic art, from vessels to installations, and exploiting all aspects of the medium, from materials to methods. Drawing from a wealth of technical and cultural traditions as well as from high-tech industrial applications, students extend the conceptual boundaries of the medium.

Faculty members in ceramics have diverse areas of specialization and embrace a wide range of aesthetic philosophies. The Art Institute museum’s excellent collections of glass, pottery, and sculpture provide important resources for study. The city itself is rich in ceramics resources, from terra cotta architecture to the extensive holdings of the Field Museum and the Oriental Institute.

The Ceramics, Fiber and Material Studies, and Sculpture departments are developing joint collaborative transdisciplinary paths of study in sculptural practices.

Equipment and facilities include:

Clay-mixers; extruder, slab roller, and wheels; free bulk materials (clay, slip, and glazes); mold-making facilities; fully equipped casting facilities; a variety of kiln styles and Äring methods; installation/gallery space; individual studios. Note: While the department has a full-time shop technician, ceramics students are responsible for lifting and mixing clay, helping to stack the kiln, and handling and storing their own pieces.