For students who want to learn more about ceramics, work with clay or sell their pottery, ASU’s Clay Club might just be the perfect place to do so.
Club president and junior ceramics major Carli Giese joined the club last year and said it is a great way to display her work and be around other artists who have similar interests and career goals.
Giese said the biggest misconception students have about the group is that they make clay items during meetings. She added that all of the work is made outside of club meetings in a ceramics studio on campus. To gain access to the studio, students must be enrolled in a ceramics course at ASU.
However, members are not required to make artwork, and Giese added that they’ve had students come in the past who came to help plan events and bring in guest speakers.
Clay Club hosts a sale on campus once or twice every semester where members can display and sell their work. Giese said the work ranges from mugs, bowls, plates and vases to teapots, platters and even jewelry.
“Everyone’s work at the sale is different because they all have their unique style,” Giese said. “Some are glazed super funky and some will be glazed simply with one solid color. (For example) I enjoy sculpting, so for the sales, I’ll wheel throw mugs and then sculpt ears and mouths onto them.”
She added that 20 percent of the sales go to the club and the rest of the money goes to the artists. The money that Clay Club earns goes toward bringing in guest speakers. The speakers range from ceramics professors to professional artists who talk about their work, how they got started and what they’re doing in their careers now.
She said there are about 25 consistent members, but many students who don’t come to meetings keep in contact to participate in sales and other events.
Giese added that she enjoys working on projects in the studio with other members and learning more about the field. She said the club is especially unique because many of the members hope to become professional artists.
“It’s kind of my second home,” Giese said. “It’s a good environment of people to be around and we get to make whatever we want with no restrictions.”
Clay Club will host its next sale on April 21 at the farmer’s market near the student services building in Tempe.
Meetings are held every other Thursday at 5 p.m. in the art building on the Tempe campus. The next meeting will be held on April 16. For more information about Clay Club, visit its page at asu.orgsync.com or email Carli Giese at cmgiese@asu.edu.
Reach the reporter at bridget.dowd@asu.eduor follow @bridgetbernice on Twitter.
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