Ceramics Department

Internships

kcaiceramicsdept — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:35:46 +0000

Internships are an important part of the KCAI ceramics department curriculum, offering students professional experience in the field. Each semester many students participate in a variety of internships in Kansas City and elsewhere.

KCAI’s campus is bounded by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. These museums offer ample opportunities for exciting internships.

Currently, there are three ceramics majors interning at the Nelson. Senior Ben Harle works with the exhibition lighting and design staff, designing pedestals for the upcoming, groundbreaking exhibition Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851-1939. Ben also recently assisted lighting for the current George Ault and Romare Bearden exhibitions.

Junior Maura Wright is interning with Catherine Futter, curator of decorative arts at the Nelson, and co-curator of the World’s Fair exhibition. Maura is preparing information labels for this show, which opens in April 2012.

Senior Roberto Lugo is interning as teaching assistant for New Dimensions, an innovative educational program at the Nelson.

At the Kemper, Cydney Ross is assisting the museum educator, helping to develop and program workshops, lectures and events. Cydney also helped with artist Jeanne Quinn‘s installation at the Kemper Crossroads space and helped prep Teri Frame‘s performance, Lavatar’s Animals.

Cydney Ross helping Teri Frame

In Kansas City, there are many local artist’s studios, galleries, and other art institutions where students can intern and prepare for the real world.

Red Star Studios is lucky to have Sasha Alexandra as their intern. She is working with the gallery space, learning what it takes to run a gallery – from packaging artworks for shipping, to corresponding with exhibiting artists about upcoming shows.

Will Preman is interning with artist Andy Braymen. Will helps Andy slip cast objects and make molds. He is learning to use 3-D modeling software programs and how to trouble shoot some of the technical problems that arise with this process.

Joseph Hutchins and Nate Salvin are working with artist Rain Harris, helping create her commercial line and her fine art sculpture. They are learning what it takes to make a living as an artist.

Jordon Kern teaches art to preschool children in her internship at Children’s Song, a Lifeways Program inspired by the teaching of Rudolf Steiner.

Dean Roper is interning with artist Meredith Host. He helps apply decals for Meredith’s commercial line, foldedpigs, and decorate her Dot Dot Dash dinner ware sets.

Molly Ryan is interning with artist Misty Gamble, helping Misty prepare work for an upcoming Exhibition at the Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art gallery.

Maret Miller interns at the American Jazz Museum. She assists with curatorial tasks, records and edits video, and designs print for the museum’s promotional materials.

Rob Lugo Wins Bread KC! Last Spring

kcaiceramicsdept — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:13:16 +0000

Our very own ceramics major Roberto Lugo won Bread KC! in May of the 2011 spring semester.

Bread KC! is a competitive opportunity for artists to present project proposals for funding. The public is invited to an event that offers a home made meal for ten dollars. After eating, three artists give formal presentations describing their project ideas. The money gathered from the purchase of dinners is awarded to one of the three artists. The winner is decided by popular vote.

People dinning at Bread

Last spring Rob participated in Bread KC! and won. He used his grant to attend a residency over the summer with potter Tom Jones.

Rob Lugo and Tom Jones

Visiting Artists: Richard Notkin and Jeanne Quinn

kcaiceramicsdept — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:38:41 +0000

This week Richard Notkin and Jeanne Quinn have visited KCAI. The ceramics department juniors and seniors were lucky to have one-on-one critiques with these talented and intelligent artists.

Richard Notkin‘s exhibition will open on October 6th, at the Belger Arts Center and Red Star Studios, and will run till December 31st. The show includes large scale tile works, his signature teapots, and miniature, highly detailed objects.

Richard Notkin, Heart Teapot: Hostage/Metamorphosis IV - Yixing Series

Richard Notkin, The Last Syllable of Recorded Time

Jeanne Quinn: Ceramics In(ter)ventions will be on show at the Kemper at the Crossroads Gallery from this Friday through Janurary 6th 2012.

Jeanne Quinn, A Thousand Tiny Deaths

Jeanne Quinn, All That Is Still Melts Into Air

Victor Babu Speaks at KCAI

kcaiceramicsdept — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:53:11 +0000

We were lucky to have Victor Babu, fabulous artist and former KCAI faculty member for over 30 years, come to speak to us at the ceramics department. Victor talked to us not only about his time teaching here, but also the lovely collection of pieces he donated to the Ferguson Teaching Collection. His donation includes works by Richard Hensley, Matthew Metz, and Molly Hatch, as well as a Romanian folk pitcher and a 19th Century Arita Japanese sake bottle.

Victor speaking to students

Victor Babu

Tuesday West examining bowl by Richard Hensley

Victor Babu

Students enjoying works after Victor's talk

Bryan Juarez looking at Matthew Metz bottle

Where Are They Now?

kcaiceramicsdept — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:25:05 +0000

So where are our KCAI graduates now? Here’s an update on exactly that!

2011 graduate Laura Campbell is in Normal, Illinois, studying at Illinois State as a post baccalaureate student.

Lora Campbell

Ryan Fletcher, 2010 graduate, is in Guldagergaard, Denmark attending a Network Residency at the International Ceramic Research Center.

Ryan Fletcher, Tapas Micros

2011 graduate Ariel Bowman won the Regina Brown Fellowship Award last spring. She is currently traveling to the Paris Natural History Museum, the Meissen and Dresden Porcelain Factory.

Ariel Bowman

Andrew Harting, 2011 graduate, is special status student at Colorado State in Fort Collins.

Andrew Harting

2010 graduate Hannah Blackwell is at Indiana University in Bloomington studying for her MFA.

Hanna Blackwell, I Am What I Am

Tess Stilwell, a graduate of 2010, is a resident artist at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Tess Stilwell

2010 graduate Laura Blumenburg is working as collections coordinator at the Belger Arts Center in Kansas City.

Laura Blumenberg

Calder Kamin, 2009 graduate, has come back to KCAI to work as a career services assistant.

Calder Kamin

2005 graduate Johanna Keefe is studying in the MFA program at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Johanna Keefe

Cara Long is attending the MFA program at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA.

Cara Long, translucent porcelain

Tiff Hockin is attending the MFA program for Graphic Design at Yale University.

Jessica Brandl and Jo Kamm are here in Kansas City. They were both recently awarded residencies at Red Star Studios.

Jo Kamm

Jessica Brandl, Painting

Spring 2011 Juried Exhibition: Rare Earth

kcaiceramicsdept — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:52:17 +0000

The Spring exhibition was a great success. See below photos of the show, if you didn’t get a chance to enjoy the real thing.

Sophomore wall of cups and saucers

2011 Graduate Wen Dan Lin

2011 Graduate Margeaux Claude

Juried group exhibition of sophomore and junior work

Current Senior Roberto Lugo

2011 seniors Ariel Bowman, Lora Campbell, and David Oicata

Current Senior Emily Connell

2011 Graduate Lora Campbell

Angie Rodriguez

Current junior Brett Ginsburg

Summer Scholarships

kcaiceramicsdept — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:24:34 +0000

Three students were awarded scholarships to attend summer sessions at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in the Colorado Rockies and Penland School of Crafts in the mountains of North Carolina. Emily Connell and Will Preman attended Sunkoo Yuh’s workshop The Narrative: realizing form at Anderson Ranch.

Anderson Ranch Arts Center

Sunkoo Yuh, A Bit of Roman Influence, 2010, 21 x 14 x 11 in., Porcelain

I attended Del Harrow’s workshop Modeling, Molding & Mapping Technology at Penland, where I learned to use the 3D rendering program Rhino, creating prototypes on a CNC mill.

Aerial View of Penland School of Crafts

The September 2011 Issue of Ceramic Monthly is Here!

kcaiceramicsdept — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:13:26 +0000

Four recent KCAI ceramic department alumni were featured in Ceramic Monthly’s fabulous September issue!

Margeaux Claude, who graduated last May, was beautifully featured in the “2011 Undergraduate Showcase” with a photograph of her Summer Series.

Margeaux Claude, Summer Series 2011

“The Spotlight Interview: In Service of Food” presents Ryan Fletcher’s Tapas Micros project in which he collaborated with a chef to design and produce restaurant ware. Ryan graduated in December 2010.

Ryan Fletcher, image from Tapas Micros Project

Also check out Jesse Small’s work in “Exposure” and Meredith Host’s Foldedpigs commercial line in “Does Clay DIY?”

Meredith Host working on her Foldedpigs line

In With the New, Out With the Old

kcaiceramicsdept — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:06:30 +0000

The old trusted World War II bread dough mixer finally bit the dust. It was cut down to pieces over the summer, and finally after much sweat, a few nicks and bruises, and no tears, the mixer was moved out, and hauled away. For good. Thanks to Tom Binger for all his hard work!

Tom Binger and Old Mixer

A truck hauling away the remains of the mixter away

Our now spacious clay mixing room has a nice new shiny blue Soldner mixer. We also have amazing new doors, and a new stack for Byrd.

The new mixer with Eli Jurado and Sasha Alexandra

It’s That Time Again!

kcaiceramicsdept — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:52:58 +0000

Now that summer’s over, it’s time to get back to keeping everyone up to date about the KCAI ceramics department. My name is Kelsey Simon, I am a senior this year, and I will be taking over as the department blogger for Lora Campbell. We are all going to miss Lora’s giving and helpful nature, as well as her enthusiastic and happy personality. Lora went to work as a post bac student at Illinois State University, in Normal, Illinois.

And the Sun Came Up Over, Spring 2011, Wall piece, 30 inches by 24 inches, Ceramic (Cone 04)

I’ll be here to keep you up to date, and to fill you in on everything you missed over the summer, so make sure to check regularly for new updates.

Me During Pre-semester Clean Up