Ceramics and Ritual: The Object as Protagonist

Prerequisites: ANY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: ARTDES 181: Clay for Non-Majors, ARTDES 202: Intro to Ceramics, RCARTS 290: Ceramics.

Description: This class is designed for those wishing to develop a broader set of skills, methods, and approaches in their work. We will begin by investigating ritual practices from a variety of historical sources and the specific ceramic objects that accompany them. We will also study and apply the technical methods of each category of objects. Using that knowledge and those methods, skills, and perspectives, students will then focus on the production of a ritual installation or performance, using ceramic methods, materials and processes that link the present with the past — technically, thematically, and materially. The goal of the course is to develop a body of work that is both technically advanced and meaningfully located in time and place.