Ceramic Arts Commons^™

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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The Coevolution Of The Six Ancient Kilns And Japanese Postwar Local Identity, Benjamin Lewis Rothstein

CISLA Senior Integrative Projects

The arts have long been tools used to prop up political visions, and Japan’s traditional crafts are no exception to this trend. Japanese ceramics in particular have enjoyed, or perhaps endured, era after era of patronage by successive governments and movements over their more than a millennium of history. Appropriated by a wave of nationalism in the Meiji period, the rokkoyō (six ancient kilns), long famous for their rustic style and acclaimed tea wares, were converted along with many other traditional crafts into symbols of the Japanese national spirit. In the postwar period, however, without necessarily losing their national importance, …

The Development And Impact Of Jingdezhen’S Ceramic Live Streaming, Yiyi Wang

MA Theses

Jingdezhen is a renowned ceramic capital in China and abroad. Its porcelain
production dates back to the Tang Dynasty, reached its peak in the Song Dynasty, and continued to thrive during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, solidifying its status as one of the primary production areas for Chinese porcelain. Over time, Jingdezhen underwent social upheavals during the Republic of China period. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the porcelain industry underwent nationalization and modernization reforms, ensuring its sustained maintenance and development. Since the reform and opening-up, the porcelain industry in Jingdezhen has progressively embraced market mechanisms, incorporating …

Formed By Fire: A Global Story Of Women And Clay, Denise Tepe

MA Projects

In 1971, art historian Linda Nochlin implored the art world to be introspective of its long-held, male-centered narratives when she published the profound essay ‘Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?’ Nochlin articulated the individual and societal factors that have disadvantaged women collectively and have historically kept them from receiving the same level of recognition as male artists for the same quality of work. This essay, compounded with growing feminist sentiments of the late 20th century, insighted art world institutions to highlight and recontextualize the art of women. These institutional efforts have culminated in female artists having a renaissance …

Gathered Vessels, Marguerite E. Mccoy

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

My journey with ceramics is a path paved with the memories of my mother's kitchen, travels across Europe, and a deep love for creating spaces where people can come together. From the warmth of a mug that fits just right in your hands, to the gentle sounds of water playing in a fountain I've crafted, my work is about making those little moments of connection feel extra special. I create ceramics that are meant to be picked up, used, and loved - pieces that carry a bit of my story to join in with yours. Whether it's joining in your …

Terra Et Intus, Mark Freeman

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

I use nature as my escape from the daily grind. I seek out wilderness to recharge my creative batteries. Just as the forest has unseen and unappreciated levels of life, so does the entire planet. When I am trapped in the daily business of life and long for an escape to nature, I have found that I can locate that beauty almost anywhere. When evaluating the structure and design of an organism on a microscopic level, especially through electron microscopy, there exist amazing and untold levels of beauty that humanity takes for granted every day. All life forms provide some …

Her Monstrous Body: The Creation And Reclamation Of Female Monsters In Visual Culture, Sarah Teske

Scripps Senior Theses

Voracious, wicked, all-consuming. The image of the female monster has captivated audiences with its unique brand of horror. She brings chaos to her surroundings while we watch from behind the safety of a screen or the pages of a book. However terrifying, viewers can take comfort in the fact that by the time the credits roll, she will be defeated.

This trope has been used time and time again to center feminine bodies and female sexuality as monstrous, while justifying the existing patriarchal order. And this is no surprise being that her features are imbued with the threat of power …

Interdisciplinary Learning: How Different Ways Of Thinking Can Fuel Passion And Expand Understanding., Allison Amy Peschek

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This Capstone project was created to show the profound experience resulting from an extended range of interdisciplinary learning, and how different methods, when paired together, can enhance a learning experience. This was a personal project of exploration into those different angles, and primarily focused on avenues of logical and creating learning, respectively. These methods have been implemented by this author often in the past, but this capstone will explore this concept further, as there is a lot of potential in combining these different methods and biases in learning, to both further passion and understanding as a learner, but to also …

Commonplace, Heather Lepp

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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.

Floral Alchemy: Decorative Porcelain Tableware, Stacy Lynn Larson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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 …