Investigating Porcelain
Location
CSU 202
Start Date
27-4-2009 8:00 AM
End Date
27-4-2009 10:00 AM
Student's Major
Art
Mentor's Name
Todd Shanafelt
Mentor's Department
Art
Mentor's College
Arts and Humanities
Description
Porcelain is type of clay that respected for its strength, its whiteness, and its translucency that often makes applied colors gorgeous. It is used to make functional art such as dinnerware, fine art, and sculptural objects. This project's goal was to sample and investigate as many different types of porcelains as possible, domestic as well as international. The goal was to gain personal knowledge within the field of ceramics as well as share this knowledge within the MSU art and ceramics department. Suppliers, from all across the United States, proved to be very cooperative in supplying samples of their porcelains for the purpose of testing. Specific characteristics were explored with each type. First, throwing qualities were tested, in other words how well the clay stood up on the potter's wheel. Plasticity, or how much the moist clay could be manipulated without tearing, was explored. Then, once many samples were fired, translucency, temperature range, and porosity were examined and noted for each type of porcelain. The great majority of this work was done in the MSU ceramic studio and campus.
Investigating Porcelain
CSU 202
Porcelain is type of clay that respected for its strength, its whiteness, and its translucency that often makes applied colors gorgeous. It is used to make functional art such as dinnerware, fine art, and sculptural objects. This project's goal was to sample and investigate as many different types of porcelains as possible, domestic as well as international. The goal was to gain personal knowledge within the field of ceramics as well as share this knowledge within the MSU art and ceramics department. Suppliers, from all across the United States, proved to be very cooperative in supplying samples of their porcelains for the purpose of testing. Specific characteristics were explored with each type. First, throwing qualities were tested, in other words how well the clay stood up on the potter's wheel. Plasticity, or how much the moist clay could be manipulated without tearing, was explored. Then, once many samples were fired, translucency, temperature range, and porosity were examined and noted for each type of porcelain. The great majority of this work was done in the MSU ceramic studio and campus.
Recommended Citation
Loucks, Dennis. "Investigating Porcelain." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 27, 2009.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2009/oral-session-01/2
