kcaiceramicsdept-blog

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Off to a great start!

Off to a great start!

The past few weeks in the ceramics department have been very busy! We are starting to see self-portraits emerging from the sophomores, tile work from the juniors and a variety of work from the seniors. With mid-semester critiques quickly approaching, students are hard at work!

Here are a few sneak peaks at what some of our students in the department have been up to!

First up we have the…

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Visiting Artist: Lindsay Pichaske

Visiting Artist: Lindsay Pichaske

This past Wednesday the ceramics department was lucky enough to welcome Lindsay Pichaske to campus for an artist lecture and demo, as well as studio visits with some of our seniors and juniors in the department.

Lindsay received her BFA from the University of North Caroline, Chapel Hill and her MFA from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is an artist and educator based in St. Louis, where…

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KCAI ceramics department blog welcomes new blogger!

KCAI ceramics department blog welcomes new blogger!

Hi all! I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Nicole McLaughlin and I am a senior in the ceramics department. As you may have guessed by the title, I will be taking over the blog in place of my peer and recent graduate, Shontaja Brown, who has done a wonderful job for the last two years!  I can’t wait to share the in’s and out’s of our department and all the exciting things…

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Sixth Annual Art History Symposium

Sixth Annual Art History Symposium

from left to right: Raegan Koepsel (senior, ceramics), Nina Gookin (senior, illustration), Hope-Lian Vinson (senior, painting), Muriel Hansen (senior, ceramics).

On Saturday February 23, KCAI’s Art History department had its Sixth Annual Art History Symposium. The symposium featured four art history double majors, two of which are our ceramics department seniors Raegan Koepsel and Muriel Hansen.…

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In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Role Models and Inspirations

In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Role Models and Inspirations

Jada Patterson “Tragic Mulatto, Keep it Under the Floorboards” Ceramic, Xerox Print, and Kanekalon hair

In honor of Black History Month 2019, the Kansas City Art Institute’s Black Artists Culture and Community organization (BACC) is proud to present In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens: Role Models and Inspirations. In her 1974 essay entitled, “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens,” author, Alice Walker…

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Visiting Ceramics Department Faculty: Margaret Kinkade

Visiting Ceramics Department Faculty: Margaret Kinkade

Margaret working on a collaborative piece with alumni Andrew Castaneda

The ceramics department welcomes Margaret Kinkade as our visiting department faculty! Margaret is teaching vessel curriculum to our ceramics department sophomores, juniors, and seniors while Paul Donnelly is on sabbatical. The third week of the semester, Margaret gave a lecture on her work in the Vanderslice Reception Room.

L…

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Artist Lecture: Jessica Brandl Students started this spring semester with an artist lecture from KCAI Ceramics department graduate, Jessica Brandl. Brandl spoke about how her upbringing has shaped her into the artist she is today.

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The KCAI Ceramic Department Presents: HOT STUFF The KCAI Ceramics Department Presents: HOT STUFF! Our semi-annual semester show will feature works created by our ceramics students this fall semester.

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RICHARD NOTKIN: BACK AT KCAI

RICHARD NOTKIN: BACK AT KCAI

Richard Notkin (Class of 1970) is back in the ceramics department! Notkin presented his closing lecture from the CrossCurrents: Clay and Culture 2018 NCECA conference in Pittsburgh, PA. The lecture was titled The Power of Art and Our Precarious Future. Notkin communicated the true value of  art throughout its history and how important it is to provide a pathway for the future generation of…

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Exhibition: Tom Binger "Binger's Return"

Exhibition: Tom Binger “Binger’s Return”

Cerbera Gallery presents the ceramics department’s very own department technician, Tom Binger, with his new show “Binger’s Return.” The exhibition will continue to run from November 7th – December 9th.

Bright Idea, 2018, Mixed Media, 30 x 23.75 x 25 inches.

Tom Binger finds it interesting that during a time in which the internet is quickly becoming the preferred method of communication,…

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Department Wide Field Trip!

Department Wide Field Trip!

This year our ceramics department took a department wide field trip. The students and teachers gathered together on a big yellow bus to participate in some of the events hosted by Open Spaces.

Students at the Hope Center community church with Nick Cave’s Hy-Dyve on display.

The first stop was KC’s decommissioned Hope Center community church space. KCAI alumni Nick Cave’s Hy-Dyve explores the…

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Global Day of Clay

Global Day of Clay

To celebrate Global Day of Clay (GDOC), seniors from our ceramics department posted images and responses to works they selected from the department’s teaching collection. To see all the works, follow us @kcai_ceramics on instagram. Check out some of the selections below:

Eric Abraham was a ceramic artist and prominent member of his community in Lucas, Kansas. Before his death in 2013, he owned…

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Visiting Scholar: Ezra Shales

Visiting Scholar: Ezra Shales

This past Friday our ceramics department had its first visiting scholar in several years. Ezra Shales is a art history professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the author of The Shape of Craft. Shales lectured about the explorations he took that inspired the making of his book and participated in studio visits with our juniors and seniors. His book explores the world of craft…

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Anderson Ranch Arts Center and Penland School of Crafts Series

Anderson Ranch Arts Center and Penland School of Crafts Series

Thanks to scholarships and donations to the KCAI Ceramics Department, every school year four students are selected to participate in workshops at Anderson Ranch Arts Center and Penland School of Arts. These workshops give students the opportunity to travel and work with established artists outside the Kansas City community. Students are able to further investigate their current work as well as…

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Exhibition: Casey Whittier. Every Corner: A Confessional

Exhibition: Casey Whittier. Every Corner: A Confessional

KCAI ceramics department’s very own alumni and assistant professor, Casey Whittier started out this school year with an solo exhibition last Friday at the Lawrence Arts Center.  The show is open to the public until October 13th.

Something to Carry My Guilt In, Terra Cotta, stoneware and linen polyfill, 18in x 15in x 6in.

Casey Whittier’s work is informed by her fascination with cast-off objects…

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Sophomore and Junior Mentorship Program

Sophomore and Junior Mentorship Program

Every year our ceramics department sophomores and juniors participate in a mentorship program. This program helps our sophomores learn more about the department and galleries in the Kansas City area from the juniors of the department. It also provides sophomores with a mentor to ask questions regarding source materials and studio considerations while working on their new projects. Juniors have…

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Exhibition: Cary Esser: Second Surface

Exhibition: Cary Esser: Second Surface

KCAI’s very own Kathleen Collins Chair of Ceramics Cary Esser recently displayed a new body of work from her Parfleche series at the Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art Gallery.  The show ran from February 2nd through March 24th. Parfleche (b71), 2017, earthenware and glaze, 7  x 5  x 1 ½. Photography by: E.G. Schempf Esser explores the aesthetic and technical edge of possibility within the medium in…