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“The first question I ask myself when something doesn’t seem to be
beautiful is why do I think it’s not beautiful. And very shortly you discover
that there is no reason.” –John Cage.
Ceramics:
Ceramic Sculpture
School of The Art Institute of Chicago • Spring 2014
Instructor: William J. O’Brien, Assistant Professor of Art, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Office Hours: W, 12:00-1:00 P.M. & BY APPOINTMENT • Email Contact: wobri@saic.edu
CER 2051-0001 Ceramics: Ceramic Sculpture • Monday 9 AM- 4 PM • 3 credit hours
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course introduces students to sculptural ideas executed in various ceramic hand
construction techniques including slab, coil, press mold, etc. Students will explore how
the unique physical characteristics of clay can contribute to the content of the work.
Construction strategies will be examined in a conceptual context, investigating issues
of space, technology, and architectural implication to build a dimensional perspective
of personal and societal relevance. Emphasis will be on process, exploration, and
discussion.
Course Requirements
Student Attendance
If a student misses MORE than three classes, whether or not for a reasonable cause, s/he will fail the class, if s/he
does not withdraw from the class prior to the deadline for withdrawal with a grade of “W”. Deadlines for withdrawal:
November 1, 2011 (Fall semester); March 28, 2012 (Spring Semester). If a student attends FEWER than three
classes his/her financial aid, merit scholarship, academic standing, and/or immigration status will be compromised,
regardless of an individual faculty member’s modifications of these recommendations.
Reasonable cause to miss a class might include:
• Illness or hospitalization,
• Observation of a religious holiday
• Family illness or deathlagiarism
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago prohibits “dishonesty such as cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly
furnishing false information to the School” (Students’ Rights and Responsibilities, Student Handbook). Plagiarism is
a form of intellectual theft. One plagiarizes when one presents another’s work as one’s own, even if one does not
intend to. The penalty for plagiarizing may also result in some loss of some types of financial aid (for example, a No
Credit in a course can lead to a loss of the Presidential Scholarship), and repeat offenses can lead to expulsion from
the School. To find out more about plagiarism and how to avoid it, you can (1) go to the portal, select the “Services”
tab, and click on “Plagiarism” under “Academic Advising and Student Success”; (2) go to the SAIC Web site, select
“Departments, Degrees, and Academic Resources,” then select “Libraries,” then select “Flaxman Library,” and then
click on the plagiarism links under the “For Our Faculty” tab; or (3) read about it in the Student Handbook under the
section “Academic Misconduct.”
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
SAIC is committed to full compliance with all laws regarding equal opportunities for students with disabilities.
Students with known or suspected disabilities, such as a Reading/Writing Disorder, ADD/ADHD, and/or a mental
health or chronic physical condition who think they would benefit from assistance or accommodations should first
contact the Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) by phone at 312.499.4278 or email at
www.dlrc.saic.edu. DLRC staff will review your disability documentation and work with you to determine reasonable
accommodations. They will then provide you with a letter outlining the approved accommodations for you to deliver
to all of your instructors. This letter must be presented before any accommodations will be implemented. You
should contact the DLRC as early in the semester as possible. The DLRC is located on the 13th floor of 116 S.
Michigan Ave. Writing Center MacLean Center Basement, 112 S. Michigan Ave., B1-03

 
SAIC offers free, hour-long writing tutorials at the Writing Center, which is located in the basement of MacLean.
Tutors are available to assist all currently enrolled students with any stage of the writing process, including the
following: getting started with writing; forming a claim or thesis statement; developing ideas; strengthening
organization; improving writing style; revising drafts; correcting grammar and punctuation errors; addressing MLA,
CMS, and APA style questions; and citing references.Writing Center tutors work with students to help them find
their own solutions to questions. Rather than correcting or editing papers for students, tutors work with students to
help them identify issues that need further attention. Tutors may ask students to discuss their ideas as a way to
specify, clarify, or deepen them. Tutors may also offer feedback on drafts, suggest writing approaches, review
information, and help students analyze their own writing. Ultimately, the goal in the Writing Center is to help
students become more proficient, independent writers.
APPOINTMENTS
To schedule an appointment with a Writing Center tutor, students first need to create an account through our online
sign-up system: www.supersaas.com/schedule/saic/writingcenter. Once students have set up their own account,
they may sign up for appointments. Weekly standing appointments are available upon request. When students
come to their tutoring appointments, they should make sure to bring their assignments with them. Schedule
instructions are available outside of the Writing Center suite (in the hallway outside of MC B1-03).
CONTACT INFORMATION
wcenter@saic.edu
Coordinator: Leila Wilson, lwilson@saic.edu, 312-345-3588
FALL AND SPRING SEMESTER HOURS
Monday – Thursday: 10:00 AM – 7:15 PM, Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:15 PMTUDIO PRODUCTION/EXPECTATIONS:
It is mandatory you are in the studio working between the hours of 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. If
you are not going to be in the studio working for some reason please inform myself or
the Teaching Assistant if you are going to be somewhere else
STUDIO PRODUCTION EXPECTATIONS:
This class will consist of 4 major projects, you will be given guidelines concerning
each project. It is mandatory for a complete grade that you complete all
assignments and attend the critiques/discussions.
Individual Projects/Meetings:

During the course of the semester you will be required both in writing, and in person meet with William J.
O’Brien and the Teaching Assistant to discuss and present your projects for the semester. You are
expected to have a concise and focused direction with your work to participate in this class. In addition
you should be able to work independently on your work and have the capacity to work during the day on
your work. Individual meetings with William J. O’Brien will occur twice during the semester. You will be
required to in writing have 2 different projects for the semester. The first is for the mid-term critique and
the second is for the final critique.
Required Readings/Discussion:

There will be required readings for this class. There are assigned deadlines for the readings throughout the
semester. It is a requirement that you are prepared for discussion beforehand for class. To ensure this
preparedness you will need to provide a one-page paragraph summarizing the most significant aspects of
two of the readings before the discussion.
Readings:

Richard Tuttle and the Comfort of the Unknown, Molly Donovan, American Art, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Summer 2006), pp. 102-125
Embodiments and art beliefs: On Yves Klein, FILIPPO FIMIANI RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics, No. 57/58
(Spring/Autumn 2010), pp. 283-298
The Spell to Re-integrate the Self: The Significance of the Work of Yayoi Kusama in the New Era, Yuko Hasegawa, Pamela
Miki Afterall: A Journal of Art, Context, and Enquiry, Issue 13 (Spring/Summer 2006), pp. 46-53

 

COURSE OUTLINE

During the course of this semester we will have both written, studio critique, and formal presentation assignments
due. Below is a brief summary of the projects for this course:

 
Week 1- 4:
Individual Meetings, Project #1, Readings Discussion #1

 
Week 5 – 8:
Mid-term Critique Presentations, Readings Discussion #2

 
Weeks 9-15:
Individual Meetings, Project #2, Readings Discussion #3,
Final Critique Presentations

 

Weekly Schedule
Monday, January, 27th
Week 1: Introductions. Demonstration of Pinching, Coil Techniques
Out of Class Reading:
Richard Tuttle and the Comfort of the Unknown, Molly Donovan, American Art, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Summer 2006), pp. 102-125
Assignment Due February 3rd: Prepare for Individual Meetings with William J. O’Brien & Tiffany Sung(Previous
examples of past work, a paragraph/outline of intentions for semester)
Roll 50 coils in preparation for Project for following week.
Demonstration of Pinching Techniques,

 
Monday, February 3rd
Week 2: (Morning) Individual Meetings with William J. O’Brien and Tiffany Sung
(Afternoon) Advanced Coil Building Techniques, Slip and Scoring, Slap Roller Demonstration
Assignment Due September 10th: Build 3-5 Sculptural Forms at least 15” in one direction

 
Monday, February 10th
Week 3- (Early Morning) Discussion of Sculptural Forms
Introduction of Project #1
(Afternoon) Lecture on Ceramics, Funk Ceramics, Arte Povera, Cross References to Minimalism, Scatter Art,
Installation, Feminism

 

Monday, February 17th
Week 4- (Morning) Work Time Project #1,
(Afternoon)Discussion of First Reading: Richard Tuttle and the Comfort of the Unknown, Molly Donovan, American
Art, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Summer 2006), pp. 102-125
Out of Class Assignment: Continue Work on Project #1: Exaggeration

 
Monday, February 24th
Week 5- (All Day) Work Time Project #1
Out of Class Assignment: Continue Work on Project #1: Exaggeration

 
Monday, March 3rd
Week 6- (All Day) Work Time Project #1
Out of Class Assignment: Finish Work on Project #1: Exaggeration

 
Monday, March 10th
Week 7- (9-2) Midterm Critique, Project #1 Exaggeration
Out of Class Reading:
The Spell to Re-integrate the Self: The Significance of the Work of Yayoi Kusama in the New Era, Yuko Hasegawa, Pamela
Miki Afterall: A Journal of Art, Context, and Enquiry, Issue 13 (Spring/Summer 2006), pp. 46-53

 
Monday, March 17th
Week 8- (Morning) Introduction of Project #2, (Afternoon) Discussion of “Objects beyond Objecthood”
Out of Class Assignment: Work on Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture

 
Monday, March 24th
Week 9 – (All Day) Work Time, Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture
Individual Meetings with William J. O’Brien and Michael Carney
Out of Class Assignment: Work on Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture,
Read Reading #3, Embodiments and art beliefs: On Yves Klein, FILIPPO FIMIANI RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics, No.
57/58 (Spring/Autumn 2010), pp. 283-298

 
Monday, March 31st
Week 9- (All Day) Work Time Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture,
(Afternoon) Discussion of Reading #3 Embodiments and art beliefs: On Yves Klein, FILIPPO FIMIANI RES:
Anthropology and Aesthetics, No. 57/58 (Spring/Autumn 2010), pp. 283-298
Out of Class Assignment: Work on Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture

 
Monday, April 7th
Week 11- (All Day) Work Time Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture
Out of Class Assignment: Work on Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gestureonday, April 14th
Week 12- (All Day) Work Time Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture
Out of Class Assignment: Work on Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture

 
Monday, April 21st
Week 13- (All Day) Work Time Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture
Out of Class Assignment: Work on Project #2: Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture

 
Monday, April 28th
Week 14 – Critique Week, No Class
Out of Class Assignment: Prepare for Final Critique, Project #2, Spontaneity, Risk and Gesture

 
Monday, May 5th
Week 15- Final Critique

 

ASSIGNMENT #1 & 2
Assignment #1: (Due Monday, Feb 3rd):
part1: 10 Artists who define, influence your practice. Please do research to
compile a list of 10 artists who influence, define your practice, examples of
their work would be helpful for group discussion in case no one has heard
of their work before. Prepared for your meetings with William J. O’Brien
and Tiffany Sung

 
part2: Drawings, 5 drawings per week
As part of the general course requirement for this class you need to make
at least 5 drawings per week. We will regularly in the morning session be
discussing the importance, relevance of drawing within your practice. Any
interpretation of drawing is permitted as long as there are 5 per week to
discuss both in individual meetings and occasionally group discussions.
This will serve as a bridge to discuss creative process as well as clarify
critical and conceptual issues within projects throughout the semester.