Southern Utah University’s Ceramics Guild sold chili bowls, dinnerware, assorted pottery and other ceramic gifts in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Living Room on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 11 and 12, to raise money for the artists.
Students browsed tables full of ceramic pieces and viewed price tags and artist names while talking to guild members. The guild provided masks, gloves and hand sanitizer for students and wrapped every purchased piece.
All proceedings from the sale are going towards the guild artists to attend the National Council Education for Ceramic Arts conference in 2022, which they have not been able to attend the past two years due to COVID-19.
Part of the guild’s mission is to allow students to collaborate with others to market their ceramic artwork professionally within the SUU community.
“Not only does it provide experience managing and selling their work, but also helps each student find their voice as an artist,” said senior and ceramics minor Alice Hill. “The guild provides some footing for the budding artists here at SUU.”
SUU offers a ceramics and sculpture emphasis within a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The degree includes intensive study of three-dimensional work and knowledge related to hand-building and throwing processes, glaze development and firing methods.
The Department of Art and Design is committed to cultivating aesthetic and critical thinking skills in every student so they can gain a foundation with ceramics and sculpture to combine with other mediums.
“Art diversifies and enhances the beauty within ourselves and the beauty that resides within us,” said Hill. “By supporting the sale, it gives you the opportunity to find some art that speaks to you.”
Both professors and students in the department have won national and international awards for illustration, graphic design and photography.
There are 26 bachelor’s programs, including liberal arts, design, dance, music and theatre within the College of Performing and Visual Arts. Pertaining to fine arts, SUU offers a graduate program in art administration.
The fall sale may be over, but the Ceramics Guild hosts an annual spring sale. Students can find additional information about the Ceramics Guild and the rest of the Art and Design department on the department’s website.
Story By: Addie Horsley
accent@suunews.net
Photo Courtesy of SUU Ceramics Guild