Combining culture and art of ceramics Students embark on an exciting artistic journey through Spain’s history in the arts
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short white building that most people wouldn’t think anything of hides a world of art history, culture, and adventure. Upon walking through the By Lauren Martin door, FSU students are thrust into a bustle of activity: Wheels are turning, people are painting, and dust is flying everywhere. Inma Juan and Ximo Pascual, the two Valencians who call this building home, greet everyone with a bright and cheery “Hola.” Despite their not speaking the slightest bit of English, you can tell they are excited to start the day. That first day at the studio, the students, still groggy from their 8:00 a.m. wake-up call, look around nervously, not sure what to expect. However, on subsequent mornings, students are up to their elbows in clay. “Working with local artists is awesome because they have welcomed us into their workshop and taught us not only technique, but the history and significance of tradition for each style of creation,” says FSU junior Claudia Stevens about working in the studio. Professor Holly Hanessian teaches The Ceramics of Valencia (ART3930). The summer 2018 course was split between lecture-style classes, in which students mainly learned about the history of ceramics through outings to local museums and tours of the city, and studio-based classes in which the students got hands-on experience building the materials they were learning about. Hanessian, who is the area head of ceramics in Tallahassee, has been teaching ceramics full-time for the past 20 years, with another 10 years of part-time experience before that, credentials that make her perfect for the job. No stranger to travel, she has taught in other study abroad programs, as well as in Valencia with FSU once before. “When I got here [the first time], I was like ‘Oh my gosh,’” she says, reliving her excitement. “I had no idea it was going to be the ceramic paradise.” Spain’s rich history with all types of art, but most notably ceramics, dates back to the 14th century when Spain was an important part of Middle Eastern trade routes. Valencia was part of a triangle of trade with the southern port town of Malaga and the island of Mallorca. New ceramics techniques stayed in Spain for at least a century before spreading to England and the rest (From left) Ximo Pascual, Holly Hanessian, and Inma Juan pose outside of the of Europe.
Ajuntament De Paterna, the studio that hosts the class.
8 Nomadic Noles // Summer 2018
Photo by Lauren Martin
