Mold Making and Ceramic Practice

Prerequisites: ANY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: ARTDES 202: Intro to Ceramics, RCARTS 290: Ceramics.

Description: This upper-level ceramics course addresses advanced problems in studio practice, specifically the use of molds in producing ceramic art. The course goes beyond the technical skills of mold-making, and emphasizes the application of molds, as well as throwing and hand-building, to create both form and content-driven ceramic sculpture and installations. In comparison to introductory ceramics, this course entails more sophisticated levels of execution, invention, expression, and content. Students make single and multiple-part molds from a variety of materials and use them to create both simple and complex ceramic forms. The course aims to develop the quality of students’ work by addressing matters of form, surface, technique, originality, concept, and audience. Classes are organized around four extended assignments that address specific kinds of molds and thematic problems. With the completion of each project, the class and instructor critique the quality of the mold, the intelligence, creativity, and thoroughness of its application, as well as the effectiveness of the overall work.