Union University Art Department: Ceramics + Sculpture

CERAMICS + SCULPTURE

CERAMICS

OUT OF THE DUST GOD FORMED US. At Union, we teach our students to shape that elemental medium that God breathed life into. The core of our program is shaped around providing the student with the skill sets that one would need to be a professional potter and artist.

The studio is equipped with large studio spaces, well equipped and ventilated. The student has 24-hour access to the studio seven days a week. Students have free and unlimited access to clay and glazes.

The studio normally stocks 30,000 lbs of clay per semester. We are equipped to work with and encourage students to experiment with stoneware and earthenware. The studio has 10 Brent wheels, 8 kilns including 2 large gas, 2 large electric, 2 large wood and soda, a primitive and raku. At the end of the student’s sophomore year they can apply for one of 6 large private studios.

COURSES ART 216 - Ceramics Hand building ART 217 - Ceramics wheel throwing I ART 316 - Ceramics wheel throwing II ART 317 - Ceramics wheel throwing III ART 460 - Ceramics wheel throwing V ART 465 - Ceramics wheel throwing VI 2

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MEET THE STUDENTS INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW CLARK My name is Andrew Clark, I’m a senior ceramics emphasis, getting my BFA. What drew you to the art department?

In high school, I started throwing ceramics on the wheel, and I was not interested in college really, but my parents encouraged me to tour some colleges. Union was one of them and I was impressed by their ceramics department, so that’s what brought me here.

What’s your favorite aspect of the art department?

As far as ceramics goes, I think Mr. Benson’s determination to make us learn and do work is my favorite part. If you’re too easy, you can escape college without really learning anything. I think a lot of professors in the art department are dedicated to make sure we learn what we need to to be successful.

Can you talk a little about the ceramics department specifically?

The general model is that for the first two years, you learn the technical skills, and then the last two semesters you learn your own style and start creating your own body of work. The ceramics department is very strong because of all the resources we have, and Mr. Benson has made it that way.

We’ve got two gas kilns, six electric kilns, a raku film, a primitive firing kiln, lots of resources.

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Why did you choose to study ceramics specifically?

Originally in high school it was something that I started doing because I enjoyed it, and now, it has become something that I actually understand more and have a desire to communicate and express what I have come to love about it to people, which is that handmade aspect, the handmade object, and how valuable that is above using a Walmart mug or plate.

How do you hope to use your degree post-graduation?

As I graduate, I hope to get a job as a studio potter. I guess that’s the final dream, but there’s a lot of steps that I’ll have to go through before that, which will include internships and apprenticeships.

Anything else you would like to share with prospective students?

Union’s art department is pretty great; you should come!

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STUDENT WORK

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SCULPTURE

GOD WAS A SCULPTOR. At Union, we view the act of sculpture as

a valid conversation concerning our Heavenly Creator and an accurate method to address the world around us. This emphasis was designed with a skill-based focus at the forefront, as well as practical knowledge of material, a detailed history of mediums and the practices of a working artist. Students are instructed in areas of metals, wood, plaster, clay, soft sculpture, alternative mediums and methods of replication. Students have 24-hour access to the department. The labs are outfitted with welding equipment, a working wood shop, kilns and other needed tools.

Studio space is awarded based on merit and students can apply after their sophomore semester. Enrolled sculpture students are also eligible to participate in field trips to museums and studios of national artists, invited to display public art around campus and encouraged to participate behind the scenes of the Jackson Union Sculpture Tour (JUST), which takes place in the Jackson community every other year.

COURSES ART 323 - Sculpture I ART 324 - Sculpture II ART 333 - Sculpture III ART 424 - Sculpture IV ART 460 - Sculpture Studio Practice V ART 465 - Sculpture Studio Practice VI

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MEET THE STUDENTS INTERVIEW WITH ZAC PANKEY I’m Zac Pankey. I’m a Junior Sculpture and Graphic Design emphasis at Union in the art department.

What drew you to the art department?

I wanted to work in a field where I could use my hands. I wanted to work in a field where I could be creative. I wanted to work in a field where I felt like I could say something, do something, and people could interact with it. I did not want to work a 9-5 job. I didn’t want that kind of lifestyle.

I wanted one that was moving from a place of my heart’s passion and what I want to do, not because it’s paying for some white picket fence, but because it comes out of a place in my heart that I want to create, I want to work, and I want to make things that mean something to me.

What is your favorite aspect of the art department?

For sure my favorite part of the art department is the people. There are people here who encourage you in your work, who talk to you about your work - whether that’s professors or students - who will have conversations with you about your work, encourage you in your work, and sometimes come along side you in your work when things get crazy. It’s a beautiful, beautiful place for interaction, both with your work, but also with relationships and understanding why we’re here, where we’re headed, and why we’re headed there, and it creates a real sense of belonging - a home, if you will - to be a part, to be involved, to be with people, which is what we are all made for.

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Why did you decide to study sculpture specifically?

Sculpture had a draw for me, as a man, to work with my hands, to have the opportunity to take a brick or a block of wood and shape it into what I saw for it. Sculpture was an opportunity for me to work with heavy materials, hard materials, and make them into something beautiful. It gave me a chance to interact with space, as opposed to some of the 2D emphases where you interact with an audience. In sculpture, you get participation with your work, you have the opportunity to make work that is participatory, interactive, and sometimes collaborative, which you don’t see as much with 2D work or even ceramics.

But sculpture is so varied, there are so many materials you can use, there are so many ways to install pieces, there is an infinite number of scales from tiny to massive and there is a craft aspect behind it. You never reach the end of learning sculpture. There’s always more to learn.

How do you hope to use your degree post-graduation?

My plan is to make furniture; I would love to spend the rest of my life making furniture. So what that looks like is opening my own studio, learning from someone who has years of experience beyond me, creating spaces of interaction for people in their homes, and then also using my studio as a place to interact with others. This means bringing people into my studio and teaching them the craft and then also having a relationship with them, which is something really important to me. So as far as sculpture goes, this is the avenue through which I have chosen 12

to pursue people and to pursue interacting with people. That avenue is furniture, is the craft, is sculpture. So that’s how I plan to use ths after graduation.

Anything else you’d like to share with prospective students?

This is not a hobby. If you’re looking for a hobby, Pinterest was made for hobbies. If you’re looking for a hobby, there are other places to look for hobbies. This is not a hobby. This is something, art is something, being a part of this department is something that comes from your heart and comes from your hands. It is an intellectual pursuit, it is a relational pursuit, it is hard work, but it’s good work, and it’s worthy work, it’s worth doing, but it’s not a hobby. So, if you decide to come here, ready your hands and ready your heart: it’s a good place to be, and it’s a life giving place to be.

STUDENT WORK

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1050 Union University Drive, Jackson, Tennessee 38305-3697 | 731.668.1818 | www.uu.edu

Excellence-Driven | Christ-Centered | People-Focused | Future-Directed