①Course description: The initial objective of this course will be for students to learn the technical aspects of working with clay. This class will be an environment in which the students and instructor learn from each other, as well as facilitate discussion and critique of ideas in a critical yet positive environment.
②Introduction Days:
Sept 24:
Introduction to the course, safety, and orientation.
Sept 29:
Introduction to the Coil technique.
States of clay: slip, plastic stage, leather hard, bone dry.
Tools, Materials, and Creating Space.
Assignment:
#1a. Coil Planters (Minimum dimensions: 7 inches tall x 5 inches wide).
#1b. Coil form, sculptural, or functional of your choosing.
Oct. 13:
Introduction to the Pinch pot technique.
Combining forms and techniques and developing texture.
Assignment:
#2a. Pinch pot bowls with an added coil foot.
#2b. Pinch pot form of your choosing.
Texture Requirement:
Students are required to incorporate texture for one of the pinch pot technique assignments (#2a or #2b). Choose one of these assignments to experiment with and showcase texture at a minimum of 30%.
Oct 27:
Introduction to the Slab technique.
How to make a slab.
Soft slabs, hump, and slump molds.
Bowls and plates.
Prep slabs for leather hard construction.
Assignment:
#3a. Make a plate or bowl from a hump or slump mold.
#3b. Create an object with a minimum of 3 structural elements using leather hard clay.
Research Requirement:
Students are required to incorporate artist research for one of the slab technique assignments (#3a or #3b). Choose one of these assignments to research and reflect on an artist's style, decoration, expressiveness, etc.
Nov. 10:
Introduction to your Final independent project.
Assignment:
#4. "Show me what you know".
Dec. 10:
Wrapping things up: Final Critique, Cleaning, and picking up work.
Instructor grading.
③Textbooks None required.
④Grading: I understand this is a new experience for many of you. I will consider the effort I see you putting into the work and the improvement that is made during the quarter. Examine your syllabus for details on point values and point breakdown for the class.
Three easy steps to pass this class：Show up for class.
Put effort into your assignments and hand them in on time. Expect to spend a minimum of 10 hours a week working on your projects outside of class time.
Participate in group discussions.
Grading artwork is subjective and is not an easy task! The rubric I will use to grade your work follows some simple guidelines and a scale within those guidelines. Clay can be difficult to work with and your biggest failures will often result in your biggest successes, so take some chances! Here is the rubric I use to grade your work.