BFACeramics
Explore the dynamic field of ceramics, from figurative sculpture and objects to industrial applications and functional ware.
Overview
Make the provocative and unexpected
"I knew early on I didn't want to settle for anything less than being an artist full-time." Eleni Berg (BFA Ceramics 2019)
Ceramic art at CCA incorporates a wide range of disciplines, including printmaking, sculpture, and glass. Students learn to develop an intensive studio practice that incorporates many different perspectives, materials, and techniques.
Under the mentorship of our award-winning faculty, including Nathan Lynch and Arthur Gonzalez, students embrace risk-taking and master fundamental skills—drawing, sculpture, design, and research—that will prepare them for lifelong careers as ceramists.
LUNCH by Eleni Berg (BFA Ceramics 2019), created in Norman DeCarlo’s spring 2019 stop motion course.
Studios & Shops
Blur the boundaries between art, design, and architecture
Our BFA in Ceramics program is nationally recognized. We train students to become interdisciplinary artists and nimble collaborators. Students investigate the history of ceramic arts, contemporary theory, and material possibilities within the context of an art and design school. The college’s ties to the Arts and Crafts movement and the Bay Area’s thriving contemporary art scene attracts many renowned visitors for our yearly lecture series. Students also benefit from project-based work that introduces them to architects, geologists, painters, writers, and more.
Students learn to develop work for different environments, like outdoor installations, restaurants, galleries, and architectural builds. They have access to all the tools they need in the Ceramics Studios, which has dedicated areas for hand building, wheel throwing, and slip casting. The studio's kiln room, glaze room, and personal student studios are open 24 hours a day. A light-filled lounge with a small kitchen offers space to eat and socialize while artworks fire in the kiln.
Ceramics Studios
- 3D clay printer
- BLAAUW computerized gas kiln
- Glaze room with raw materials
- Outdoor areas with specialized equipment
- Spray booth
- Decal-printing station
- Dedicated slip casting area
Connect beyond campus
The Nancy Selvin Award provides undergraduate students whose work is engaged in the practice of ceramics the opportunity to travel to a residency or conference. Artist and CCA faculty member Nancy Selvin, the award’s namesake, has had a huge impact on the field of ceramics and art education across the country. This travel award allows recipients to step away from their daily routines, immerse themselves in their work, and make new connections within the clay community.
Faculty
A creative community at your fingertips
Our faculty—such as Erik Scollon, and Maria Porges—are practicing artists whose works include figurative sculpture, painting, site-specific installation, ceramics fabrication, and more. They help students understand and challenge the role of ceramics in history, culture, and contemporary society.
Curtis Arima, Chair of Ceramics
Curtis Hidemasa Nickerson Arima is a metalsmith, jeweler, and fine artist who is drawn to the transformative nature of materials and the memory, emotion, and history that objects can hold. He earned a BFA from California College of Arts and Crafts and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy. His jewelry and sculpture has been exhibited and published nationally and internationally. He has lectured and taught workshops in the U.S., Japan, and China.
He is also on the Board of Directors of the Ethical Metalsmiths and part of their Education Committee. As a professor and chair of the Jewelry & Metal Arts, Ceramics, Sculpture, Textiles, and Individualized Studies programs at California College of the Arts, he enjoys mentoring students to find their artistic identity and connection to more sustainable practices.
His publications include Metalsmith Magazine, Sculpture Magazine, Lapidary Journal, the Lark’s 500 series books, and New Brooches. His museum exhibitions include: Fuller Craft Museum (Brockton, MA), Metal Museum (Nashville, TN), Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (Houston, TX), Ohio Craft Museum, (Columbus, OH), and New York City Jewelry Week.
“We take the West Coast tradition of rule breaking seriously, crafting a distinctive ceramics program that is often more experimental, interdisciplinary, and performative than others.”
Associate Professor, Ceramics
Curriculum
We think with our hands
Develop personal concepts and ideas
Ceramics at CCA introduces students to the nature and possibilities of clay, then guides them in exploring and developing their personal concepts and ideas. As students move beyond the fundamentals and into advanced-level workshops, which focus on specific themes, such as objecthood, they learn to merge their critical thinking, presentation, and collaboration skills. View sample courses.
Investigate ideas through every dimension
Before diving into their chosen major, every undergraduate participates in the First Year Experience. Students explore a wide range of materials and tools over the course of two semesters. Faculty from different disciplines guide studio projects, group critiques, and theoretical discussions, setting students up for success throughout their major coursework.
BFA Ceramics
Core Studio
- Drawing 1
- 3.0 units
- 2D, 3D, and 4D
- 9.0 units
Ceramics Major Requirements
- Ceramics 1
- 3.0 units
- Ceramics 2: Glaze Technology
- 3.0 units
- Contemporary Issues in Craft Theory
- 3.0 units
- Craft Workshop
- 3.0 units
- Ceramics Workshop
- 6.0 units
- Digital Tools: 3D
- 3.0 units
- Advanced Ceramics Workshop
- 6.0 units
- Junior Tutorial
- 3.0 units
- Senior Project: Ceramics
- 6.0 units
Additional Studio Requirements
- Interdisciplinary Critique
- 3.0 units
- Upper Division Interdisciplinary Studio
- 3.0 units
- Critical Ethnic Studies Studio
- 3.0 units
- Studio Electives
- 15.0 units
Humanities & Sciences Requirements
- Writing 1
- 3.0 units
- Writing 2
- 3.0 units
- Introduction to the Arts
- 3.0 units
- Introduction to the Modern Arts
- 3.0 units
- Foundation in Critical Studies
- 3.0 units
- Media History: Ceramics
- 3.0 units
- Critical Ethnic Studies Seminar (2000 level)
- 3.0 units
- Literary and Performing Arts Studies (2000 level)
- 3.0 units
- Philosophy and Critical Theory (2000 level)
- 3.0 units
- Social Science/History (2000 level)
- 3.0 units
- Science/Math (2000 level)
- 3.0 units
- History of Art and Visual Culture (2000 level)
- 3.0 units
- Humanities and Sciences Electives (2000 or 3000 level, at least 6 units must be 3000 level)
- 12.0 units
Total 120.0 units
Careers
Reinventing the role of ceramics
After graduation, alumni are ready to work as interdisciplinary artists and challenge the limits of ceramic art. They establish studio practices, oversee galleries, design products, venture into teaching, and pursue interesting projects that engage with pressing social and environmental causes.
Potential career paths
- Pottery and ceramic studio owner
- Art school educator
- Self-employed artist
- Gallery owner
- Designer and fabricator
- Clothing/jewelry small business owner
News & Events
What’s new for the ceramics discipline?
How to Apply
Begin the professional life of an artist
Our applicants are often just as excited about research and writing as they are about building sculptures. Some already have experience making figurative pottery, but just as many are completely new to ceramics. We look for promising artists who are interested in collaboration and pushing boundaries.
Find your creative community at CCA
