Hand-Building Pottery for Plants

with Dee Clements
CERAMICS 671 001 | 3 credits | $250 Lab Fee
June 29–July 12, 2025

In this class, we will use hand-building techniques to create planters, baths, vases, and sculptures specifically designed for growing flowers and ornamental plants. We will pay special attention to the strength, drainage, and outdoor readiness of our designs to best serve our growing needs. Students will have access to all materials in the Ceramics Studio. Demonstrations will cover hand-building, vessel creation, and construction methods, with a focus on developing an intermediate understanding of drying times, building sound pieces, minimizing loss, and studio safety. In addition, students will have the opportunity to explore effective surface techniques using the Ox-Bow glaze lab. We will use coil- and slab-building methods to construct pots and then enhance them with ornamental and decorative surface treatments including carving, sgraffito, incising, feathering, and the addition of other sculptural elements. We’ll also explore colored slips and underglaze techniques. To draw inspiration, we will study various ceramic artists working in similar styles. Assignments will invite students to consider the idea of the clay pot as a container for holding plants, foods, and objects and how decoration and ornamentation can signify an object's use or history, or tell a story. We will consider the idea of "The Carrier Bag Theory" and its application within both ancient and modern pottery.  We will look at examples from early Greek pots to contemporary artists like Betty Woodman, Roberto Lugo, Grayson Perry, and more. Our final installation will be supported by a trip to the plant nursery to buy plants to create a studio installation of living elements supported by our ceramic wares.

Dee Clements (she/her/ella) is a sculptor and designer whose practice uses the language of weaving and ceramics to explore her interests in materials, ethnography, and gender politics. She holds an MFA in 3D Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in Fiber and Materials Studies and Sculpture from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is currently represented by Nina Johnson Gallery in Miami, Florida.

Dee Clements, Polyp, 2024, ceramics, reed, dyed, and polyurethane, 28 x 26 x 30 in.