As a Senior BFA candidate for Visual Arts in Ceramics and a member of the Spring CSArt Team, I was able to travel with other ceramics students and faculty to represent our program at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts in Minneapolis at the end of March.

At the conference I had the chance to represent Clemson and our community share program in the exhibition hall. When I wasn't working the CSArt table, I had the chance to attend different lectures. I am passionate about clay and art as therapy and was fortunate enough to attend two lectures regarding these topics. 

The first lecture I attended about therapy was a talk by Cynthia O'Brien who spoke about her work with people in Long Term Care.  Cynthia works with men and women who live at Perley Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre in Ottawa, Canada. This long term care facility has begun to incorporate art and a clay practice into the lives of the residents. What stood out most to me about this lecture was the relationships that Cynthia had built and maintained with each individual resident. She was personally close to each of them and art is what brought them together. Not only did practicing art lead to new relationships for these residents but it improved their quality of life by giving them something to be proud of.

The second lecture I attended was regarding art with the Deaf and Blind. Elizabeth Cohen participated in a pilot program of ceramics at the Perkins School for the Blind. This program allowed deafblind students ages 7-22 to work with clay and realize their potential in a meaningful way.  This program was interesting as there are only a very small percentage of people who are deaf and blind in the world. Additionally it was compelling to learn about how Elizabeth interacted with the students through interpreters and other methods. One of the main things I learned from this lecture is a lot of the interactions are based on intuition and what seems right for each individual student in the moment. 

With both of these lectures I learned so much about art therapy and how great an impact it can have on someone's life. Access to art for the mentally or physically handicapped, the young or the elderly can improve and change lives for the better. I believe in this even more so since this conference and I hope to pursue a career in Art therapy in which I can bring healing to people in search of peace. 

Savannah Wood
Spring 2019 CSArt Artist Coordinator 

Last month, a group CSArt team members and ceramic students travelled to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to attend NCECA!  This was my first time attending NCECA, so I was very excited for the new experience and inspirations to come.  With this being my last semester as an undergraduate student, I wanted to use this trip to better prepare for graduate school, learn about summer workshop opportunities, and find inspiration to further improve my own work.  I was lucky enough to do all three!
At NCECA, I attended several lectures ranging from the history of tea and teapots to preparing for graduate school.  I also had the joy of representing Clemson University at our booth, telling other students about our art department and my participation in CSArt both as a selected artist and CI member.
The lectures that I attended where extremely insightful, and I tried to visit a wide range of lecture topics so I could take in as much information as possible.  My favorite lecture that I attended was “Pots VS. MFA”, a panel led by John Neely, Margaret Bohls, and John Balistreri.  This panel discussed the difficulty of breaking the norm of focusing on sculptural work as a master’s student, and how one can continue to be a potter while in school.  They gave great advice for new graduate students, being extremely encouraging and supportive of our passion for being potters.  After attending this lecture, I feel more prepared for what graduate school has in store for me. Another lecture that I found particularly interesting was the History of Tea and Teapots, led by Jim Connell.  As a South Carolina native, Jim included several facts about our area in relation to tea production that I did not know about.  He was very enthusiastic, making the lecture light-hearted and inspiring. 
After talking to several different residency and workshop programs, I have decided that I would like to apply for a summer residency or workshop.  The deadlines are steadily approaching, but I was able to learn a lot of great information at the booths, and now I know which programs would work best for me and my vision as an artist.
Overall, I am so beyond thankful that I was able to make the trip to NCECA this year.  I was able to meet the faculty and students at San Diego State University (the school I am attending in the fall), view (and purchase) some amazing artwork, learn about the many opportunities I have as a ceramic artist, prepare for the next steps after graduation, find inspiration through art and lectures, and represent Clemson University all along the way.  I now have so many ideas of what to work on and create next, and I cannot wait to bring these ideas to life in the next few months.  I am so very thankful for Clemson CI for making this trip happen; I now feel more inspired and prepared for the next step in my life.

Katie Francis
Clemson CSArt Spring 2019 Sales

            A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to represent Clemson in Minneapolis for the NCECA (National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts) conference.  We had a table set up in the resource hall of the conference center along with other schools, art centers, and organizations, and we had the chance to talk with people about the art program and opportunities offered at Clemson.  It was a great way to spread the word about Creative Inquiry and what we are doing in CSArt!
            When I was not at our table in the resource hall, I was able to learn about opportunities post-graduation such as graduate programs and residencies all over the country and abroad.  It was a great way to start networking and learning what was out there.  I also got to attend lectures and demonstrations by respected artists.  I attended lectures that covered a broad range of topics such as glaze testing results, business advice, and some history of ceramics.  My favorite lecture was The History of Tea and the Teapot where Jim Connell gave a quick overview of the history of tea in China and how it spread globally and still impacts cultures today.  The demonstrations that I attended were mostly decorative demos where I learned new ways to approach glazing and surface design in my own work. After the conference hall closed, we got to experience the culture and see more of the city by going to different galleries and shows that were held all throughout Minneapolis.  
            NCECA was a great way to learn more about ceramics and network with other schools and programs around the country! I really enjoyed getting to meet so many other people passionate about ceramics and talking about my experiences at Clemson in the art department and as a member of the CSArt team.  Thank you to CI for sponsoring us and giving us this opportunity to further our development as artists!

Marilyn Baughan
Clemson CSArt 2019 Web Design
​BFA Visual Arts '20

The CSArt team has busy the past couple of weeks! Two weeks ago team member Savannah and share artists Marilyn and Katie traveled to Minneapolis with the Ceramics Department for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. While in Minneapolis we shared our project with potters and artists from around the country! We met with students and faculty from different universities to promote our program. Not only did we get to tell them about our community art share but we were able to hear about what was happening in other ceramic programs. As an extra bonus we were able to see a lot of great artwork, hear from several speakers, and see some demonstrations from visiting artists! Many thanks to the Clemson University Creative Inquiry Program for funding our trip, we are already excited for next year!

Spring 2019 CSArt shares go on sale this Friday! We at CSArt are excited to announce the first day of share sales, starting Friday morning at 8:00am! To reserve your share, follow the "Purchase a Share" link along the top ribbon on this website. Special thanks to our talented artists, and our juror, Wim Roefs; owner of if ART Gallery in Columbia, SC, and Board Chair at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, SC. Follow our journey on Instagram and this blog as Clemson student artists design and  create the exceptional pieces for this season!

Sidney Brusse
​Clemson CSArt 2019 Communications and Marketing
​BFA Visual Arts Clemson '22

E-mail clemsoncsa@gmail.com with your submissions!! 

Savannah and Hannah are back at work helping prepare for the Spring 2019 share! Keep up to date along the way here and by subscribing to our newsletter!  ​

Hello Everyone!

Well, the CSArt team members are getting ready to pack their bags and start their summer adventures until we all meet again in fall. No matter where our breaks may take each of us, be it exciting internships or study abroad semesters, we are all leaving with smiling faces as yet another amazing semester at Clemson has come to a close, and, with it, another successful CSArt Share!

Over the past few weeks, our team has invested many hours to design and package every Share crate by hand. We screen printed the CSArt logos onto the crates as a team, and carefully placed all of the beautiful works selected by our juror, Yu Kai Lin, inside. All the countless hours put in by team members, artists, and faculty throughout the semester all came together in the stack of crates dissolving into happy customers’ hands. 

Various other ceramic works made by our student artists were also placed out during the CSArt Share for purchase, showcasing the variety of talent and style amongst Clemson artists. During the share, CSArt team members and artists also had the opportunity to meet several of our generous purchasers, as they stopped by to pick up their shares. We are thrilled with our turnout for the 2018 Share, and would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to everyone who came to the Share. 

If you missed out on our event this year, don’t worry — we will be back! Start marking your calendars now in anticipation of the CSArt Spring 2019 Share, because we hope you are just as excited as we are to see the next generation of CSArt and the great work they will do. 

CU in the Fall!

Signing Off, 
Hannah, Valerie, & The CSArt Team

This week the CSArt team and share artists had the pleasure of meeting with our distinguished 2018 CSArt Share Juror, Yu-Kai Lin. The Owner and Director of KAI LIN ART, an Atlanta-based art gallery, spent the afternoon providing us with further insight to his picks for the 2018 CSArt Share. Yu-Kai also provided us with valuable knowledge and advice about our future careers and paths as artists built on his career and wealth of success in the art community. 

On Picking the Artists for the Share: 

Upon being prompted to provide us with further insight on how he came to choose the selected artists for the 2018 Share, Yu-Kai explained to us that he based his decisions off of many of the same criteria that he uses when selecting pieces for his gallery.

As someone who works a job where he is constantly bombarded with images and ideas, “pieces that catch my eye”, he says, are “fully realized, complete thoughts… refined, defined. There’s nothing left to do; it’s a completed idea.” He also says he can appreciate imperfections for what they are, touches of the human hand and reflections of our imperfections. 

In terms of coming across art that is controversial or taboo, Yu-Kai reflected before stating, “It’s a disservice to stifle things we feel and want to talk about… pieces of substance…” He continued, “but the best art is ambiguous; even if it sends a message, it leaves viewers to relate and reflect through their own experiences.”

On Being A Business Owner:

When asked about being a business owner, Yu-Kai was incredibly candid about the work and difficulties that come on the road to success. He stated, “nothing is stable… we are in a time of great change, but with change comes transformation… you can start something new, and that can be amazing”. As far as him and his four fellow employees at YU KAI LIN Art, they seem to be taking it one step at a time, as Lin said, “it’s about faith to trust in the process. Go with your gut, and let the pieces fall where they may.”

Graduate student and 2018 Spring share artist, Conor Alwood, asked Yu-Kai how he best stays update on trends in the art community. Lin responded by saying in terms of following the trends, “it’s better to be the trend”. Yu-Kai reminded us the labels can be limitations, “art is organic; don’t define yourself in a way that will limit who you can be”. He went on to add that artists should seek to make “art that speaks to the culture of the market its in. If you make something that speaks to you or others, that’s all you can ask for”. 

Lin also advised us in our student and career paths alike to “leave no stoned unturned…. And return to those stones”. Yu-Kai emphasized the value of making real connections, and returning to those connections through your life as you expand and grow. He stated, “You want to be a memorable person, in every path you cross you should seek to make an impact”.

On Art Degrees… 

Savannah Wood, CSArt team member, seeks to be an art teacher. Upon sharing on her experiences and prompting a conversation on the unspoken connotations of the words “art major”, Savannah asked Yu-Kai: Did you always intend to open up an art gallery?

Yu-Kai, a Georgia Native, shared with us where his path first began at Emory University in Atlanta as a premed student. A path very much so encouraged by his parents, it wasn’t until he interned at a hospital in college that he realized he didn’t have a passion for the path he was on. It wasn’t long after that he took his first art history class, focused on art of the early Italian Renaissance.

Lin graduated from Emory with a Bachelor of Art in Music, and taught piano for three years after college. He then spent several years doing corporate travel work involving interior design. Lin worked at a handful of galleries before open KAI LIN ART in the 2008. Today, Lin still owns his gallery in Buckhead, as well as teaching art and piano several days each week. 

In regards to the different paths our lives may take us on, Lin emphasized the importance of being open-minded, “people who are different challenge us to grow”, he reminds us. He shared that while his corporate travel work wasn’t the path for him, it brought him a new, more worldly perspective and the importance of being able to communicate with many different kinds of people. 

Still, he encouraged us to take our degrees and “find people who inspire you, challenge you, to find a path you’re passionate about…”. As he put it, #BeYourOwnBeyonce 

On what the future holds: 

As for what’s next for Lin, he smiles before saying “I feel truly honored and rewarded with my accomplishments and what I have built”. Lin is excited but unsure what the future holds for him, although he hints he may have a big move in store for the future, or new career possibilities further down the road.  

Wherever you’re headed next, we will be cheering you on, Yu-Kai!

Stay posted for more updates as we prepare in the final days before the Spring 2018 CSArt share. 

Sincerely,
Hannah Ghafary and the Clemson CSArt Spring 2018 Team

For more background on Yu-Kai Lin and his story, read about him on our Meet Our Juror page or at KAILINART.com