Art students will line the hallway of the Student Union Building from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, with hundreds of hand-crafted pieces of pottery at the Christmas Pottery Sale.
This semiannual event will feature work that students have done in and outside of class throughout the duration of the year. It serves as an opportunity both for Union students to purchase affordable pieces of sculpture and for undergraduate art students to begin to market themselves and their work.
Union’s Potter’s Guild, a student-run organization that sponsors trips and workshops, will host the event.
“Showing and selling their work makes each student accountable to a larger audience,” Chris Nadaskay, a Union professor of art, said. “It helps them to understand the importance of good craftsmanship as well as how the communication of a specific content affects public perception.”
Olivia Avery, senior art major, will showcase everything from mugs and bowls to tall elegant vases at her last Christmas Pottery sale. Avery fractured her arm midway through the semester and said that injury pushed her to explore new ways of throwing pottery.
“Some of the pieces at this year’s sale are the most innovative and unique work I have made during my undergraduate time at Union,” Avery said. “I love that the pottery sale gives students the opportunity to start showcasing their craft and making money even as they are still learning.”
The process of sculpting and firing ceramics is intensive and laborious. Students must prepare the wood and then fire and maintain the kiln until the process is complete.
Nadaskay said he hopes the recent firing of one of the wood kilns will produce some interesting pieces that will be included in the sale.
“Students need to understand that the work they do and make is valuable both to themselves financially and to the public,” Nadaskay said. “The role of beauty in society should not be underestimated.”