Ceramic symposium hosts high school artists

Students throughout the state converged on the Hill to show off their creative talents at the Georgia High School Ceramic Arts Awards and Symposium hosted by the Lamar Dodd Art Center during spring semester.

The event, which a different college or university hosts each year, featured a juried exhibition with around 90 pieces from 28 schools. The work was selected by local ceramic artist Rich Brown, who not only served as this year’s judge, but also demonstrated his skill on a pottery wheel.

“This symposium brings the art community together and builds valuable relationships across the state of Georgia,” said Austin Wieland, Lovick P. Corn Associate Professor of Art and Design. “Historically, there are very few exhibition opportunities for three-dimensional art at the high school level.

This symposium gives students and teachers a chance to share the hard work coming out of their classrooms.”

In addition to the exhibition, faculty from LaGrange College and other institutions led hands-on demonstrations in underglaze transfers, brush making, stamps and sprig molds, slab construction and sgraffito. Outside the Art Center, students observed raku, a low-fire process that involves removing pottery from a kiln when it is red hot.

“The workshops allow students to learn and create with art professors and educators from around the state,” Wieland said. “As a result, they get to see what it is like taking a class and working in a college-level studio.”

Next year’s event will be held at Piedmont University, where Wieland will serve as a juror for the exhibition portion of the symposium.