Modernizing Ceramics

Location

CSU 201

Start Date

2-4-2019 10:00 AM

End Date

2-4-2019 11:00 AM

Student's Major

Art

Student's College

Arts and Humanities

Mentor's Name

Mika Laidlaw

Mentor's Department

Art

Mentor's College

Arts and Humanities

Second Mentor's Name

Todd Shanafelt

Second Mentor's Department

Art

Second Mentor's College

Arts and Humanities

Description

The ceramic arts is something rooted closely in tradition. Over many generations the practice has had a large following of people follow the traditions and techniques passed down from the old ages. While this is not necessarily bad, it does leave little room for innovation and excitement. It's only been in the most recent generations that the ceramic arts has been experiencing a growth in how it is used to create modern artwork that is a reflection of our current era. To remedy the lacking modernity in an art form that has infinite possibilities, I have attempted to combine a material with ceramic works, in a way that is new and exciting for the entire field of ceramics, but also the arts as a whole. Through the studying of electricity and metals such as copper, and the characteristics of clay and its inherent properties, I have successfully developed a method in which ceramics can be electroplated and bonded with metals, in this case, copper. Through this new relationship between copper and clay, we can further push the material to speak about our generation, our cultures, our problems and so on. The most surprising and promising interaction between clay and copper is the varied ways in which the copper can be produced upon the clay. Clean and smooth, rough and organic and more. Creating this bond between two very different materials will help to update the capabilities of the timeless ceramic material, inducing an exciting and new future.

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Apr 2nd, 10:00 AM Apr 2nd, 11:00 AM

Modernizing Ceramics

CSU 201

The ceramic arts is something rooted closely in tradition. Over many generations the practice has had a large following of people follow the traditions and techniques passed down from the old ages. While this is not necessarily bad, it does leave little room for innovation and excitement. It's only been in the most recent generations that the ceramic arts has been experiencing a growth in how it is used to create modern artwork that is a reflection of our current era. To remedy the lacking modernity in an art form that has infinite possibilities, I have attempted to combine a material with ceramic works, in a way that is new and exciting for the entire field of ceramics, but also the arts as a whole. Through the studying of electricity and metals such as copper, and the characteristics of clay and its inherent properties, I have successfully developed a method in which ceramics can be electroplated and bonded with metals, in this case, copper. Through this new relationship between copper and clay, we can further push the material to speak about our generation, our cultures, our problems and so on. The most surprising and promising interaction between clay and copper is the varied ways in which the copper can be produced upon the clay. Clean and smooth, rough and organic and more. Creating this bond between two very different materials will help to update the capabilities of the timeless ceramic material, inducing an exciting and new future.

Recommended Citation

Fitzgibbons, Dylan. "Modernizing Ceramics." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 2, 2019.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2019/oral-session-03/1