Course Overview
New for 2023!
During this session participants will use earthenware clay and alternative/Indigenous firing methods to create functional and sculptural objects that expand notions of object, ritual, and function. We will explore pinch, coil, press-mold, and thrown and alter forms to construct objects of cultural, historical, political, and personal meaning.
Participants will additionally experiment with various alternative low-firing methods including open pit firing, low-temperature salt, and sagger-firings. We will further develop our unique surfaces by layering non-ceramic materials such as nail and shoe polishes, paste wax, permanent makers, and acrylic and spray paint in addition to glazes, oxides, slips and terra-sigillata.
This course is part of Summer College Studio Art Academy, an enrichment and community-building program offered through Syracuse University’s School of Art, part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA).
All students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion and have the opportunity to request a Syracuse University credit transcript.
Course Objectives
- Practice introductory ceramic construction methods including-modeling, pinch, coil and slab construction as well as basic slump and hump mold usage.
- Explore form, mass, and volume by producing clay objects and vessels.
- Practice a range of ceramic techniques, technologies and firing processes.
- Apply appropriate ceramic construction methods based on a given form.
- List and summarize the physical and chemical nature of various ceramic materials.
- Utilize appropriate ceramic terminology.
- Examine and Unpack notion of function, ritual, and tradition from a diversity of perspectives.
Course Information
Course Prefix and Number: ARI 223
Format: On Campus (at Syracuse University)
Eligibility: Students must be of rising high school sophomore*, junior, or senior status – or a 2023 high school graduate.
*Rising sophomores are only eligible for the noncredit version of this course.
Credit: 3 credits** or Noncredit
**Prospective students wishing to take the course for college credit are required to submit a sample portfolio of 3-5 images of current artwork formatted in a single pdf document. Please include name, date, title, and dimensions. Images in the sample portfolio do not need to be in the medium of the course to be taken but should emphasize creativity and technical accomplishment.
Grading:
- Credit: A-F
- Noncredit: Pass/Fail
3-Credit:
- Residential: $4,535
- Commuter: $3,589
Noncredit:
- Residential: $3,945
- Commuter: $2,999
Program rates are subject to change and will be approved by the board of trustees. Discounts and scholarships are also available.
Program Information
Summer College – On Campus: Experience what college is really like: take a college-level course, live in a residence hall, have meals with friends in a dining hall, and participate in activities and events on campus.
Course Dates and Details
| Program | Course Dates | Synchronous Class Time (EST) | Credit/Noncredit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer College – On Campus | 2-Week Session III: Sunday, July 30 – Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 | MTWThF; 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. | 3 credits or Noncredit | Closed |
Course Requirements
Required Textbooks and Supplies
Students should budget for required textbooks and supplies.
Typical Day
Tentative Schedule
- 30-40 minute Morning slide lecture
- 30 minute Writing/ Discussion prompts
- Clay and conversation time
- Individual projects
- Lunch
- Gather and Review
- Guided Practice
- Studio Clean up
When class is over, and on weekends, students can look forward to various Summer College – On Campus activities to meet and connect with other students! Check out our On Campus Experience page for more information!
Field Trips
Students may visit the SU Art Museum and the Everson Art Museum.
Faculty Bios
Sharif Bey
Born as one of twelve children, Sharif Bey was raised in a large African American family in Pittsburgh. While many of the men in his family left school for jobs in industry, Bey had a pivotal experience at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild (MCG) while attending high school. MCG played a formative role for Bey throughout his teens, giving him a foundation of skills and extensive ceramics-world connections. Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, Bey studied sculpture at The Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Slovakia. Later, he earned his BFA from Slippery Rock University, his MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and PhD (in art education) from Pennsylvania State University.
Inspired by modernism, functional pottery, Oceanic, African art, and Art of the African diaspora, Bey’s ceramic/glass/mix-media works investigate the cultural and political significance of adornment and the symbolic and formal properties of archetypal motifs, while questioning how the meaning of icons and function transform across cultures and time. His awards include: The United States Artist Fellowship, The Pollock-Krasner Fellowship, The New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and The J. William Fulbright Scholarship. Bey’s works are featured in several public collections including: The Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, The Carnegie Museum of Art, The Columbus Museum, The Dallas Museum of Art, The Mint Museum, The Everson Museum, and The Westmoreland American Art Museum. Bey lives in Syracuse, NY with his wife and two sons.