New ceramics studio is 'like a dream come true'
Jessie Lovdal
Issue date: 5/4/06 Section: News
For arts professor Nancy Niefield, the new ceramics studio is like a dream come true. Located across the parking lot from Raymond House, the building formerly served as a daycare. It was renovated over the summer of 2005, and now the entire lower level is devoted to ceramics.
The new studio is a drastic improvement from the first, which was situated in an old two-car garage near the arts building. "I had lots of students, not enough room and not enough equipment," said Niefield. It had only four ceramics wheels and not nearly enough space to run a class.
Now, the studio has eight wheels - enough for each student in the ceramics practicum to have his or her own. Each wheel is at an individual work station, which also have plenty of shelf space for students to store their work, which is another improvement from the old studio, where Niefield says all work was stored together and broke easily.
Ceramics students are also grateful for their new studio. Chad Rebhun, a sophomore in the practicum, says: "I think it's beautiful. In the old building I probably never would have taken ceramics; it wasn't a very appealing space." As for what's inside, Rebhun says "it's nice not having to wait to use a wheel." Another feature of the new building? "We have a new kiln, and there is a separate room for the kiln so it's safer," says Rebhun.
Before Niefield came to Union, the ceramics program was run as a club only. Niefield began teaching ceramics in 1999, however students did not receive credit for the class initially. Finally, in 2001, the arts department made ceramics into a practicum course. "There were always too many people signing up, and there still are" said Niefield of the popular practicum. She believes that because the new space is so much better than the old, it will continue to attract more and more students to the ceramics program.
The new studio can be attributed to the hard work of late Union Dean Christina Sorum, who Niefield says was constantly trying to improve Union's arts program. Sorum approved the plan for the new ceramics studio just before she passed away, and Niefield says Sorum was "the reason [the studio] was done."
A display of ceramics pieces made by this term's practicum is now up in Reamer Campus Center, near the phone bank and post office, until the end of the term. The exhibit will hold pieces that were made using a Japanese form of firing called Raku, as well as pieces made in an outdoor firing pit which was dug into the ground by students.
The new studio is a drastic improvement from the first, which was situated in an old two-car garage near the arts building. "I had lots of students, not enough room and not enough equipment," said Niefield. It had only four ceramics wheels and not nearly enough space to run a class.
Now, the studio has eight wheels - enough for each student in the ceramics practicum to have his or her own. Each wheel is at an individual work station, which also have plenty of shelf space for students to store their work, which is another improvement from the old studio, where Niefield says all work was stored together and broke easily.
Ceramics students are also grateful for their new studio. Chad Rebhun, a sophomore in the practicum, says: "I think it's beautiful. In the old building I probably never would have taken ceramics; it wasn't a very appealing space." As for what's inside, Rebhun says "it's nice not having to wait to use a wheel." Another feature of the new building? "We have a new kiln, and there is a separate room for the kiln so it's safer," says Rebhun.
Before Niefield came to Union, the ceramics program was run as a club only. Niefield began teaching ceramics in 1999, however students did not receive credit for the class initially. Finally, in 2001, the arts department made ceramics into a practicum course. "There were always too many people signing up, and there still are" said Niefield of the popular practicum. She believes that because the new space is so much better than the old, it will continue to attract more and more students to the ceramics program.
The new studio can be attributed to the hard work of late Union Dean Christina Sorum, who Niefield says was constantly trying to improve Union's arts program. Sorum approved the plan for the new ceramics studio just before she passed away, and Niefield says Sorum was "the reason [the studio] was done."
A display of ceramics pieces made by this term's practicum is now up in Reamer Campus Center, near the phone bank and post office, until the end of the term. The exhibit will hold pieces that were made using a Japanese form of firing called Raku, as well as pieces made in an outdoor firing pit which was dug into the ground by students.
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