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.
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
