Art Department

Study Ceramics

The Foothill College ART Program (Emphasis Ceramics) is geared toward students with a variety of skill levels. From first-time wheel throwers and hand builders to ceramic sculptors and advanced ceramic students looking to enhance their portfolios, Foothill ceramics is the place to find your ceramic voice and be part of a community of artists.

Faculty

Andy Ruble, rubleandy@fhda.edu
Kimberly Cook, cookkimberly@fhda.edu
Gustavo Martinez, gustavomartinez@fhda.edu

Ceramic Facilities

Large canvas-covered worktables for hand-building
25 potter's wheels
DBL-30 Geil downdraft gas kiln
Alpine 24 gas kiln
4 large 1224 Skutt electric kilns
1 large front-loading Paragon electric kiln
2 raku kilns
1 catenary arch cross-draft soda kiln
2 extruders
1 slab roller
Extensive glaze lab with spray booth

Special Events, Art Exhibitions & Clubs

In addition to ceramic classes, the Claybodies club invites visiting artists for lecture series, hosts the annual student pottery sale, and attends national ceramic conferences.

(Slide Show of Ceramic Sale)

Degrees and Certificates

Earn an Associate in Arts (AA) in Art or a Certificate of Achievement (CA) in Art — with an emphasis in Ceramics.

For a possible schedule that fulfills program and college requirements, VIEW program map and SELECT Ceramics from dropdown menu.

Course Offerings

The ceramic courses provide a welcoming community with classes on weekdays, evenings, and Saturdays. Each course is 6 hours per week, with plenty of open lab time for assignments and technique refinement.

ART 44 Ceramic Sculpture

Prerequisite: ART 45A.
Studio practice in designing and creating original ceramic sculpture.

ART 45A Beginning Ceramics Handbuilding

An introduction to basic ceramic hand-building techniques, and its historical and contemporary significance. This course will introduce ceramic hand-building techniques, including pinching, coil, and slab construction, as well as examine various high and low-fire glazing techniques. In addition to sculpting and constructing hand built vessels students will examine, critically discuss, analyze and write about clay, glaze and hand-building techniques, tools, ceramic terminology and processes of historical and contemporary clay hand-built vessels. Students will learn ceramic vocabulary, and participate in verbal and written class critiques.

ART 45B Beginning Ceramics Potter’s Wheel

An introduction to throwing on the potter's wheel, and its historical and contemporary significance. This course will introduce the process of wedging clay, centering a pot, pulling a wall, shaping processes, and trimming techniques to complete well balanced forms on the potter's wheel. In addition to gaining expertise in wheel-throwing, students will examine, discuss, critique and write about the techniques, tools, ceramic terminology and processes of historical and contemporary thrown clay vessels. Students will use ceramic vocabulary in verbal and written class critiques

ART 45C Advanced Ceramics

Prerequisite: ART 45A and ART 45B.
Laboratory practice in throwing advanced forms on the potter's wheel, combining hand-built and wheel-thrown forms, glazing these forms, and understanding kiln loading and firing procedures.

ART 45F Low-Temperature Ceramic Firing & Glazing Techniques

Prerequisite: ART 45A or ART 45B.
Studio practice in the glazing and firing of ceramic pieces using four low-temperature methods: electric kiln oxidation firing, luster firing, raku firing and pit firing.

ART 46B Potter’s Wheel II

Prerequisite: ART 45B.
Provides intermediate level instruction in clay processes covering intermediate wheel-throwing methods, glazing, decorating, and firing procedures. Explores technical problem solving, and creative design.