From the pages of Ceramics Monthly

The MFA Factor: Arizona State University

With the start of a new school year, we return to our profiles of graduate ceramics programs. We'll be publishing a new profile in each issue through the fall, so stay tuned for more!

Arizona State University

The Ceramics area seeks to provide a stimulating and challenging environment for artistic and intellectual growth. With the realization that discipline, familiarity with historical precedents and freedom go hand in hand with creative activities, the area strives to strike a balance between the acquisition of traditional skills and the promotion of independence and innovation. Responsibility is placed on the individual student to find personally meaningful content and an effective means to express that content within the ceramic arts.

ASU Faculty Sam Chung received his M.F.A. from ASU in 1997 and returned to the school in the fall of 2007 to begin teaching there. He specializes in functional porcelain vessels, which can be seen at AKAR, Iowa City, Iowa, and Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona. Teapot, 5 in. (13 cm) in height, slab-constructed, soda fired porcelain, cone 10. Kurt Weiser received his B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute and an M.F.A. from the University of Michigan. Weiser has been teaching at ASU for seventeen years. His area of concentration is overglaze enamels. The first full-scale survey of Weiser’s work is currently touring the country. For the upcoming exhibition schedule, please visit http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu/weiser. Bright Angel, 17 in. (43 cm) in height, cast porcelain, china paint. Susan Beiner holds a B.F.A. from Rutgers University and an M.F.A. from the University of Michigan. She recently joined the faculty at ASU. Beiner’s work can be seen in galleries across the country, including The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Lacoste Gallery, Concord, Massachusetts. Chinese Conversation, 14 in. (36 cm) in height, slipcast and assembled porcelain, foam, polyfil. Back to Top

ASU Grad Students Cole Corie I did not take time off before starting graduate school because I had taken a long time in undergrad, studying biology initially. I found ceramics in my “senior” year, and took an additional three years after that to get my B.F.A. I wanted to keep up the momentum by going immediately to graduate school. Christian S. Tonsgard I believe firmly in contemporary ceramics, and I feel that ASU is one of the schools that is at the center of contemporary ceramic ideology. After graduating from Monmouth College in 2001 with a B.A., I went to the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, where I rented studio space for two years. After my time in Colorado, I attended the Rhode Island School of Design for two years to hone my skills and perfect my portfolio for graduate school. After graduate school, I hope to pursue a career as an exhibiting artist as well as teach at the college level. Eilen Ryazantseva Stewart I have always loved school and learning, and I do not know that I will ever stop taking and/or teaching classes and continuing to educate myself. I will certainly never cease learning. I came to ASU to enrich my knowledge of ceramic materials and techniques as well as to develop a new body of work, which I am hoping to continue working on after my time at ASU has ended. I did not take any time off between my B.F.A. and M.F.A., primarily because I have been in school since I was six years old and don’t seem to be able to live without it. I wanted to stay in the “school mode” for what I knew was going to be a challenging experience. I feared that taking time off would hinder my ability to jump right into graduate school. Dustin McGilvray I chose to do my graduate studies at ASU because the program is actively growing with the addition of two new faculty and a brand new graduate facility. I did not take any time off between my undergraduate and graduate programs, because I wanted to continue my education throughout the early part of my artistic development. Holly Curcio I initally decided to attend ASU because it provided resources such as the Ceramics Research Center, a collector/gallery base and the program is affordable. Now I would also include the faculty and facilities. I spent eight years between undergraduate and graduate school as a working artist. During that time, I developed my drawing skills, lived at ceramics artist residencies and undertook public art commissions. Following graduate school, I will be going to Anderson Ranch for a residency, and I recently signed a regional contract with Udinotti Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. Darien Johnson After undergraduate school, I spent a year as a non-degree seeking student at the Kansas City Art Institute in order to further develop my work. At that time, I applied to a short list of graduate schools and was not accepted to any of them. I decided to make Kansas City my home for the next three years. With the benefit of hindsight, I’m able to say those three years were crucial to my development as an artist and person. I found out with certainty that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I know what it’s like to make art without the support of an institution behind you, and I know not to take the opportunity of graduate school for granted. I chose ASU because it has strong faculty and facilities, as well as the connection with the Ceramic Research Center. It is a three-year program with an already established reputation that seems to be getting even better. Adil Rahee I applied to graduate school after I arrived in the U.S. from Iraq as a refugee. I chose ASU because I wanted to study with Kurt Weiser. Also, the ASU program is designed to help and push students to be successful artists. While in school, I had a solo exhibition at Shemer Museum at Arizona State, as well as some group shows with the other students, and I received a 2007 Arizona Artist Guild award. Back to Top