Ceramics I

Course Description

ART2750C – Ceramics I is a 3-credit, integrated lecture-and-studio course introducing the materials, processes, and aesthetics of ceramic art. Students learn the foundational ceramic-forming techniques — hand-building (pinch, coil, slab) and wheel-throwing — along with the basic chemistry and behavior of clay; surface decoration and glazing; bisque and glaze firing; and kiln operation at an introductory level. Studio projects move students from the structured exercises that build technical fluency toward more independent and conceptually-developed work, balancing the functional pottery tradition with sculptural and conceptual approaches to ceramics. The course is widely available in face-to-face formats only — ceramics requires hands-on access to clay, wheels, and kilns and cannot be effectively delivered fully online.

The course sits within the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS) under Visual Arts and Art History > Studio Art (Ceramics) and is offered at approximately 18 Florida public institutions. ART2750C is the standard ceramics-major entry point and the gateway to upper-division ceramics coursework at most Florida BFA programs. It is also one of the most popular non-major studio courses for students seeking a hands-on creative experience as part of a humanities or arts gen-ed selection. The integrated "C" format means lecture, demonstration, critique, and studio work are combined; students typically meet for 6 hours of studio per week (the standard 2:1 studio-to-credit ratio for visual arts).

Ceramics is distinct from other 3D media in two important ways. First, it is process-intensive — projects move through multiple stages (forming, drying, bisque firing, glazing, glaze firing) over weeks; planning, patience, and willingness to lose work to the kiln are part of the discipline. Second, it is one of the oldest continuous human art traditions, present in nearly every culture; the course typically integrates ceramics history alongside studio practice. Many students find ceramics deeply rewarding precisely because of its physical and contemplative demands.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of ART2750C, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate competency in hand-building techniques: pinch construction; coil construction; slab construction; combinations and refinements; appropriate scaling and joining methods.
• Demonstrate competency in wheel-throwing: centering clay on the wheel; opening the form; pulling walls; shaping cylinders, bowls, plates, and bottles; trimming on the wheel; attaching handles and other elements.
• Demonstrate understanding of clay properties and chemistry: clay bodies (earthenware, stoneware, porcelain) and their characteristics; moisture states (slip, plastic, leather-hard, bone-dry); shrinkage; the relationship between forming and drying.
• Apply principles of surface decoration at an introductory level: slips and engobes; sgraffito; mishima; underglazes; carving; texture; pattern.
• Apply principles of glazing and surface chemistry at an introductory level: glaze materials and chemistry at a survey level; preparation; application techniques (dipping, brushing, pouring, spraying); the relationship between clay body and glaze; glaze defects and their causes.
• Demonstrate understanding of the firing process: bisque firing; glaze firing; cone reference and temperature; oxidation vs. reduction firing at a survey level (with hands-on experience as facilities allow); kiln safety and operation under instructor supervision.
• Apply three-dimensional design principles to ceramics: form, mass, volume, line, surface; proportion; scale; foot/base relationships; the integration of form and function in pottery; sculptural composition in ceramics.
• Apply safe practice in the ceramics studio: dust management (silica/silicosis hazards); proper use of personal protective equipment (dust masks/respirators when handling dry materials, gloves for chemical glazes); ventilation; safe lifting; safe kiln operation; proper handling of fresh and bisque-fired work; understanding of SDS for materials used.
• Develop and execute independent ceramics projects: defining a subject or concept; producing studies and small studies (test tiles, maquettes); refining through iteration; completing finished works that integrate form, surface, and concept.
• Articulate conceptual content in ceramic work: subject, theme, intention, and the relationship between formal/material choices and meaning.
• Engage thoughtfully and substantively in group critiques: making careful formal observations; offering critical feedback; receiving and integrating critique into revision.
• Identify and discuss the major historical and contemporary ceramic traditions: pre-Columbian, Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Korean), Islamic, European, African, North American Indigenous, and contemporary studio ceramics.
• Document finished work effectively: photographing ceramics with appropriate lighting and backdrops; preparing portfolio documentation suitable for BFA review or transfer.
• Maintain professional studio practices: organized workspace; tool stewardship; reclaim and recycling of clay; cleanup protocols; care and storage of work in progress.

Optional Outcomes

• Engage with more advanced wheel-thrown forms: tall forms, lidded vessels, teapots, complex assemblies.
• Engage with complex glaze application: glaze layering, wax resist, multi-glaze techniques.
• Engage with alternative firing methods: raku; pit firing; salt and soda firing; wood firing — where institutional facilities allow.
• Engage with sculptural ceramics in greater depth: figurative work, abstract sculpture, installation work.
• Conduct artist research: writing about a contemporary ceramicist and presenting on their practice.
• Engage with introductory glaze formulation: testing materials; modifying base glazes; understanding triaxial blends.
• Engage with functional pottery as a discipline: tableware sets, the function-form relationship, the contemporary studio-pottery tradition.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Studio Orientation and Safety: Studio rules and protocols; tool inventory and stewardship; silica dust hazards and prevention; personal protective equipment; SDS for ceramic materials; safe kiln operation; cleanup protocols.
• Clay and Its Properties: What clay is (geological origin); clay body categories (earthenware, stoneware, porcelain); moisture states and their working properties; shrinkage; storage and reclaim of clay.
• Hand-Building — Pinch: Centering small forms in the hand; pinch-pot construction; thinning and shaping walls; combining pinch elements.
• Hand-Building — Coil: Coil preparation and joining; building forms with coils; surface treatment (smooth or visible coil); larger-scale coil construction.
• Hand-Building — Slab: Rolling slabs (manual and slab roller); soft-slab vs. stiff-slab construction; templates and patterns; slab-built vessels and sculptural forms; combining slab with other techniques.
• Wheel-Throwing — Foundations: Wedging; centering on the wheel; opening; pulling walls; cylinder forms; bowl forms; plate forms; shaping techniques.
• Wheel-Throwing — Trimming and Finishing: Trimming bases on the wheel; foot-ring formation; attaching handles, spouts, and other elements; finishing the form for drying.
• Drying and Greenware Handling: Even drying to prevent cracking; covering and slowing drying as needed; handling leather-hard and bone-dry work; preparing for bisque firing.
• Bisque Firing: Loading the bisque kiln; firing schedules; cone reference; temperature ranges; preparing bisqueware for glazing.
• Surface Decoration: Slips and engobes; sgraffito (carving through slip); mishima (inlaid line); underglazes; carving; texture (impressions, sprigging); pattern and design.
• Glaze Materials and Chemistry at a Survey Level: Glass formers, fluxes, and stabilizers at an introductory level; glaze types (gloss, matte, satin); how glaze materials interact during firing; common glaze defects (crawling, crazing, pinholing) and their causes.
• Glaze Application: Preparation (sieving, mixing); dipping; brushing; pouring; spraying; layering; wax resist; the relationship between thickness and outcome.
• Glaze Firing: Loading the glaze kiln (with attention to glaze contact); firing schedules; cone temperatures (the cone-04 to cone-10 range commonly used); oxidation vs. reduction at a survey level; opening the kiln safely.
• Form, Function, and Concept: The functional pottery tradition; form-function relationships; the integration of utility and aesthetics; sculptural ceramics; concept development in ceramic work.
• Critique and Studio Practice: Formal and conceptual analysis; offering substantive feedback; integrating critique into revision; learning to articulate one's own intentions.
• Ceramics History at a Survey Level: Selected reference points from prehistoric ceramics through contemporary studio ceramics; non-Western ceramic traditions (Chinese porcelain, Japanese tea-bowl tradition, Korean celadon, Islamic luster ware, pre-Columbian Mesoamerican pottery, North American Indigenous pottery, African ceramics); modern and contemporary studio ceramics (Bernard Leach, Shoji Hamada, Peter Voulkos, Toshiko Takaezu, Betty Woodman, Magdalene Odundo, Theaster Gates, Roberto Lugo).
• Documentation and Portfolio: Photographing ceramics with appropriate lighting (typically with backdrops, controlled light, multiple angles); building a cohesive portfolio.

Optional Topics

• Advanced Wheel-Throwing: Tall forms (vases, bottles); lidded vessels; teapots and complex assemblies; throwing-off-the-hump.
• Alternative Firing: Raku; pit firing; salt and soda firing; wood firing — where institutional facilities allow.
• Sculptural Ceramics: Large-scale sculptural work; figurative ceramics; abstract ceramic sculpture; installation.
• Introductory Glaze Formulation: Materials and their roles; modifying base glazes; triaxial blends; line blends.
• Mold-Making and Slip-Casting: Plaster mold-making; slip preparation; slip-cast forms.
• Functional Pottery as Discipline: Tableware sets; the contemporary studio pottery tradition; pottery and food.

Resources & Tools

• Common reference texts: The Craft and Art of Clay by Susan Peterson and Jan Peterson (Pearson) — the most widely-adopted ceramics survey textbook; Hands in Clay by Speight and Toki (McGraw-Hill); Ceramics: Mastering the Craft by Richard Zakin; The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques by Frank and Janet Hamer (A&C Black). Most institutions do not require a single fixed textbook for ART2750C.
• Open-access references: Smarthistory; the Met Museum's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (extensive ceramic-history coverage); Ceramics Arts Network (free, includes free PDFs and articles); the artist websites of major contemporary ceramicists; the American Ceramic Society educational resources.
• Required supplies: Ceramics studio fees and supply costs are typically $80–200 per semester, often built into a course studio fee that covers clay, glaze, and firing. Students typically purchase a basic tool kit (~$25–40) including: needle tool, wooden ribs, metal ribs, wire cutter, sponges, fettling knife, and similar items. Aprons, towels, and dust masks (or respirators) are also essential.
• Studio facilities: Dedicated ceramics studio with workspaces and storage; pottery wheels (electric and/or kick); slab roller; wedging tables; clay storage; reclaim system; kilns (electric for bisque and most glaze firing; gas kilns for reduction firing and high-fire stoneware at well-equipped institutions); raku kilns and outdoor firing area at some institutions; gallery or critique space.
• Florida ceramics references: St. Petersburg's Morean Center for Clay (housed in the historic Train Station — major ceramics-arts center); the Charlie Cummings Gallery (Gainesville — ceramics-focused); the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (Sarasota — Asian ceramics holdings); the Cornell Fine Arts Museum (Rollins College, Winter Park — ceramics holdings); the Polk Museum of Art (Lakeland); the Florida Highwaymen artists worked partly in ceramics; the Boca Raton Museum of Art; FAMU, FSU, USF, UF, and other Florida BFA programs all maintain active ceramics studios with visiting-artist programs.
• Tutoring and support: Institution ceramics studio open hours (essential — ceramics work cannot be completed in class time alone); ceramics technician or studio manager (critical resource for kiln operation and material questions); peer studio support; visiting artist programs.

Career Pathways

• Studio Potter / Ceramic Artist — independent practice; pathway through Florida BFA programs (UF, FSU, USF, FAU, FIU, UCF, FGCU, New World School of the Arts, Ringling College of Art and Design Sarasota); MFA programs at FSU, USF, UF, and FIU; residency programs (the Morean Center for Clay in St. Petersburg, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Maine, Archie Bray Foundation, others).
• Ceramic Designer / Production Potter — pottery studios, dinnerware companies, decorative-ceramics manufacturers.
• Industrial Designer (Ceramics) — sanitary ware, tableware, technical ceramics; broader industrial-design career.
• Ceramics Technician / Kiln Operator — supporting institutional and studio ceramics programs; common entry-level pathway after BFA.
• Art Educator (K–12 or Higher Education) — pathway through Florida art education programs; ceramics is a popular K–12 art-program offering.
• Museum Educator / Curator — Florida cultural institutions with ceramics holdings.
• Theme-Park Visual Development / Theme-Park Show Designer — Walt Disney Imagineering and Universal Creative employ artists with ceramic and sculptural skills.
• Art Therapist (long-term, with graduate work) — ceramic work is a common art-therapy modality.
• Tile Setter / Architectural Ceramicist — Florida's substantial construction and renovation sector.
• Crafts-Sector Entrepreneur — Florida's craft-fair and tourist-pottery sector; markets such as the Mount Dora Arts Festival, Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, and dozens of regional craft markets.

Special Information

Articulation and Transfer

ART2750C articulates to all Florida SUS institutions and is the standard introductory ceramics course in the studio-art curriculum. A grade of C or higher is typically required at most institutions for the course to satisfy major prerequisites. ART2750C is required for entry to upper-division ceramics pathways at most Florida BFA programs.

Prerequisites

Most institutions accept students into ART2750C without studio prerequisites — the course is widely available to non-majors as a hands-on creative gen-ed option. Some BFA programs require ART1203C (Three-Dimensional Design) with a minimum grade of C as a prerequisite or co-requisite for studio-art majors continuing in ceramics. Specific requirements vary by institution.

ART2750C as Non-Majors Studio Option

ART2750C is one of the most popular studio-art courses for non-majors at Florida community colleges. The hands-on, process-oriented character makes it appealing as a creative break from text-heavy gen-eds; many students discover an unexpected interest in ceramics. Non-majors should expect the same physical and time demands as art majors — ceramics is a labor-intensive medium.

Course Format and Workload

ART2750C is typically a 3-credit integrated lecture-and-studio course with 6 hours of class time per week (the standard 2:1 studio-to-credit ratio). Expect 4–6 major projects across the semester, regular sketchbook/study development, and a final portfolio review. Out-of-class studio time is essential and typically runs 8–12 hours per week — ceramics cannot be completed in class time alone, especially given the multi-stage process (form, dry, bisque-fire, glaze, glaze-fire) that spans weeks. Work that fails in the kiln or cracks in drying is a normal part of the discipline.

Studio Fees and Materials

Most Florida ceramics programs charge a studio fee covering clay, glaze, and firing — typically built into the tuition or charged as a course fee. Students should plan for the basic tool kit ($25–40) and personal supplies (apron, dust mask, towels). Ceramics work is cumbersome to transport and store; students should anticipate the practical challenges of moving substantial finished work at semester's end.

Course Code Variations

Florida institutions consistently use ART2750C for this course, titled "Ceramics I" or "Introduction to Ceramics." Some institutions also offer specialized intermediate ceramics courses (ART2751C Ceramics II, ART2756C Wheel-Throwing, ART2757C Hand-Building) as continuations. The course is consistently 3 credits across institutions.