Ceramic Arts Commons^™

Understanding Clay And Its Media Properties Through The Expressive Therapies Continuum, Anne Geisz

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

For centuries, clay has been used by civilizations to hold food, memories, and records of history. To this day, it is used by engineers, hobbyists, artists, art therapists and many more. This art based, heuristic study explores clay through the researcher’s ongoing practice with the material, within the framework of the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) and examines how its unique media properties make it such a versatile material for both ceramic artists and art therapists. Results exhibit these unique media properties and clay’s ability to reach all levels of the ETC through collected data of images, journals, critiques, and notes. …

Squaring The Circle, Carter Pasma

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

“Squaring the circle” is often used as a metaphor for trying to do the impossible. In many ways, this relates directly to my life and the path I have chosen as a ceramic artist. Living in a world of mass production, people often overlook and under appreciate handmade objects. The pots I create are designed to make the person using them notice and appreciate the thoughtfulness of something handmade.

It is comforting to make objects that will ultimately be used to enhance someone’s daily routine. Reflecting on this as a ceramic artist is what drives me to create pots that …

Ripe Spoils, Yan Cynthia Chen

Theses and Dissertations

Chen’s practice primarily focus on sculptures and installation. She explores the interplay between the idea of nature and the constructed environment, by examining how language informs what we know. The central thesis, "Ripe Spoils", employs citrus fruits as symbols for bodily experiences and personal identity, investigating their cultural and historical significance. Her sculptures summon the qualities and embedded meanings in materials like paper pulp and clay, wax and citrus fruits, often resulting in abstracted forms evocative of the human body. This thesis paper and exhibition reflect on themes like mortality and the essence of self.

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Floral Alchemy: Decorative Porcelain Tableware, Stacy Lynn Larson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This written thesis accompanies and addresses work shown in my Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibition, Floral Alchemy: Decorative Porcelain Tableware, at West Virginia University. Within this document, I address my research, inspiration, and process as I created the body of work shown in my thesis exhibition. My personal fascination with plants and flowers stimulates my research in the relationship between flora and humankind. Throughout history, plants have consistently had a deep impact on human culture as seen in mythology, language, ritual, art, and medicine. With an understanding of this historical context, I analyze my personal connection with flowers in …

Commonplace, Heather Lepp

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The paper as follows will explore the conceptual and aesthetic decisions behind my MFA thesis exhibition titled Commonplace. It will outline my personal history, philosophical outlook, and conceptual framework behind making utilitarian pottery to elevate daily experiences. It will also investigate my individual exploration into beauty in relation to the process of making my work. Formal considerations such as visual, tactile, and functional aspects of the work will be addressed. Sharing, gathering, and preparing food influences me as a maker, and being attentive inspires me to create utilitarian wares that are used as cherished tools to enrich daily life.