This course explores the historically rich and tactile nature of clay, providing students with the fundamental hand-building and wheel-throwing techniques.

Students will learn fundamental hand-building methods for constructing and surface decorating ceramic forms, focusing on perceptual and aesthetic concerns related to balance, structure, continuity, texture, and detail. Emphasis will be placed on developing construction skills, understanding form/space relationships, surface treatment, and firing possibilities.

In parallel, students will acquire basic wheel-throwing skills on the electric potter's wheel, engaging in guided practice sessions following frequent demonstrations of wheel-throwing and glazing techniques. The course will explore both functional and sculptural ceramics, focusing on the conceptual and aesthetic aspects of contemporary ceramics, as well as historical references from around the world.

Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to create ceramic works that reflect their unique style and personal expression. They will investigate the relationships between details, conceptual ideas, functions, and the connections of these object-forms with both makers and users/viewers.