NCECA Exhibits: University Shipping Containers Shows
Standard Ceramic’s NCECA’s Exhibitions
When the 52nd Annual Conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts convenes in Pittsburgh this coming March 14 – 17, Standard Ceramic will transform its facilities into several galleries that will feature exhibitions by noted ceramic artists. In addition, eight universities will be featured in “pop-up” shipping container galleries on the property. Standard Ceramic is located in Carnegie, a nearby community just fifteen minutes from the downtown conference location. Conference attendees will be able to travel to the site via charter buses and make their way through the galleries, viewing the art and touring Standard’s clay-making and glaze operations, its ClayPlace@Standard gallery space, Ceramic Supply Pittsburgh, and the company’s offices. Local musicians will perform throughout the opening, with food and drink provided.
The 2018 conference theme – Crosscurrents: Clay and Culture – will explore sources of inspiration that influence and impact work in ceramics today. The Standard exhibitions will address this theme. Over the next several months, we will feature stories about these artists and their shows here on our website. Visit us often to read about this exciting event.
NCECA Exhibits: University Shipping Containers Shows
Enriching the exhibits in the Standard Ceramic facilities will be eight additional shows by university faculty and students. Representing current education in the ceramic arts, eight universities will showcase work in special shipping containers. These “pop-up” spaces will be located in a parking lot adjacent to Standard Ceramic. Visitors can stroll through each structure, viewing the work of noted ceramic educators and their students. Combined with the featured shows, the university exhibits will enrich and complete the NCECA visitor’s experience of the full range of ceramic work in the United States in 2018.
The universities included are:
Alfred University, Alfred, New York.
The MFA program in Ceramic Art at Alfred University has a distinguished history as a premier institution for education in the art and has been offered since 1943. Today this program is ranked number one by U.S. News and World Report. https://www.alfred.edu/college-of-ceramics/
Ohio University, Athen, Ohio
Ohio University’s program, in its 7,500-square foot studio, focuses on developing individuals who challenge contemporary standards while producing work of exceptionalcraftsmanship. https://www.ohio.edu/finearts/art/academics/programs/ceramics.cfm
Illinois State University, Normal, Indiana
The ceramics program offers a diverse approach to the materials and processes involved in the production of ceramic art. The curriculum and facilities allow for a range of approaches to making and thinking whether one desires the intimacy and immediacy of the hand or the rapidly advancing possibilities of digital design and output with ceramic material. https://finearts.illinoisstate.edu/art-studios/ceramics/
Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
Indiana offers a rigorous, hands-on examination of clay that encourages the exploration of aesthetic interests ranging from vessels to ceramic sculpture. Emphasis in on developing a conceptual foundation, technical expertise, and a commitment to art while expanding the knowledge of art history and developing a critical understanding of contemporary art issues. https://soaad.indiana.edu/academics/areas/ceramics/index.html
Penn State University, College Park, Pennsylvania
Ranked 12th in the country in 2017 by the U.S News & World Report, Penn State University’s Ceramic Art Program provides each student with the tools needed to find and pursue his or her artistic vision in a professional manner. Diverse faculty interests and approaches add to the educational experience by providing a wide swath of reference materials, which include contemporary theory, artists, exhibition practices, and criticism. https://sova.psu.edu/concentration-area/ceramics
Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
Syracuse draws on the deep roots of ceramic art in the Syracuse community, specifically, the Everson Museum of Art, which holds one of the most comprehensive collections of American ceramic art in the nation. The faculty encourages an open dialogue with other disciplines with the overriding objective of cultivating and enriching curiosities, through an active and varied visiting artist program, a history of curating exhibitions, and an expectation for graduates of participation in the field on the national and international levels. http://vpa.syr.edu/academics/art/graduate/studio-arts/about-ceramics/
Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This program makes a point of drawing on the energy and resources of the city. Students are encouraged to investigate a wide range of processes, including the recent addition of 3D modeling and printing, as they develop their own personal visions. “We’re not interested in creating artists in our own image,” comments Ceramics Program Head and Crafts Department Chair Nicholas Kripal. “We love that we draw students who are pushing the boundaries of the medium, students who want to be challenged.” https://tyler.temple.edu/programs/ceramics
West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
West Virginia’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics is a nationally-recognized program. Through a unique partnership with the Pottery Workshop in Jingdezhen, students can travel and study with some of China’s most prominent teachers and ceramic artists. The Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts with an emphasis in Ceramics fuses art and technology, which recently boosted it into one of the top 20 graduate art programs in the country, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report in 2013. WVU is one of only a few schools left in the nation with a ceramics production line, bringing student productions to the general public. A production class creates hundreds of items available at semi-annual ceramics sales that helps further field study and educational opportunities for students. https://artanddesign.wvu.edu/academics/ceramics