Bachelor of Fine Arts - Studio Art - Ceramics

Ceramics at AUArts is where tradition meets transformation. Students dream of creating striking sculpture, innovative tableware, or public art, and the program is for makers who want to leave a mark on the world. Students join a passionate community, push the boundaries of what ceramics can be, and find a unique voice through hands-on experimentation, critical research, and creative risk-taking.

Program Overview

The curriculum offers an immersive experience that balances hands-on technical skill with creative exploration. Students will begin by mastering the foundations of wheel-throwing, handbuilding, and glazing, then advance into sculptural and digital ceramics, mold-making, slip-casting, and experimental forms.

AUArts offers a studio culture in which no single style dominates—functional pottery, large-scale installations, and digital decal printing are all within reach. Students learn in spacious studios equipped with state-of-the-art kilns (electric, gas, soda, wood, catenary) and collaborate with celebrated artists, expert technicians, and visiting international talent. Through critiques, research projects, and exhibitions, students develop a critical voice, build a portfolio, and prepare for a career that spans art, craft, and design.

Program Highlights

• Wheel-Throwing, Handbuilding & Sculptural Freedom: Students start with foundational skills in wheel-throwing, coil and slab building, and handbuilt sculpture—then expand into personal forms and experimental modes.
• Experimental Approaches: Students push the boundaries of clay in courses that blend ceramics with other media, digital processes, or performance—going beyond pots and plates to installation, mixed media, and interdisciplinary projects.
• Moldmaking, Casting & Multiples: Students learn traditional and innovative techniques in plaster mold-making, slip-casting, and serial production.
• Surface & Colour Exploration: Students investigate colour, glaze chemistry, and surface design through low- and high-fire glazes, overglaze, underglaze, and innovative application techniques.
• Ceramics for Social Change: Students take on “Social Pots” and other classes that connect form and function with community, narrative, and activism—discovering clay as a medium for cultural critique and social engagement.
• Self-Directed Practice & Advanced Studios: Students shape their own creative journey in upper-level studios and seminars: develop cohesive bodies of work, pursue independent proposals, and situate their practice within global contemporary ceramics.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the Ceramics program will:

• Demonstrate advanced technical skills in handbuilding, wheel-throwing, mold-making, slip-casting, glazing and firing.
• Synthesize conceptual, aesthetic and practical problem-solving strategies in the creation of original bodies of work.
• Articulate critical perspectives on the history, theory and contemporary practice of ceramics within craft, design, and fine art.
• Experiment with emerging technologies and interdisciplinary approaches—including digital tools, surface treatments and large-scale installations.
• Engage professionally with the broader field through exhibition, documentation, research and community engagement.

New! The Bachelor of Fine Arts program now offers emerging secondary concentrations in Comic Studies and Game Design, available as additional areas of focus alongside the primary concentration.