Mission Statement

The Butte College Ceramics Program offers a solid foundation in the technical and aesthetics aspects of clay construction. Although ceramics as a creative art medium is emphasized, students also study the interrelationship between industry, business and ceramics. Our staff strives to offer a well-rounded art education including instruction in the skills needed to develop a working portfolio for employment and higher education purposes.

Program Description

Ceramics is a vibrant program that currently offers four courses: ART 50, 52, and 56, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Ceramics, and ART 54, which is an intermediate course that focuses on low-fire glazes and surface treatments.  Beginning classes introduce and develop fundamental skills, while Intermediate, Advanced, and Low-Fire classes offer students the opportunity to develop techniques and a body of work that will prepare them for transfer and upper-division work and/or employment as artists. Students can earn a Certificate of Achievement and/or an A.A. degree in Ceramics.

Classes are offered in a spacious classroom (ARTS 140) and Glaze Room, which includes an outdoor state-of�the-art laboratory.  Classes are taught by three-five Associate faculty members.  The program has a lab technician who assists in the operation of the area.

Student Learning/Administrative Unit Outcomes

Ceramics Program
PLO’s
Upon successful completion of this program the student will be able to 
A.  Employ technical skills, creativity, critical thinking, and conceptual problem solving in completing independent visual art projects in the medium of ceramics.
B.  Analyze, compare, and synthesize significant global ideas and primary original works of ceramic art from diverse cultures and time periods.
C.  Produce, present, and describe a portfolio consisting of original ceramic artworks.
D.  Demonstrate proficient and safe use of a variety of equipment, materials, and tools when creating works of ceramic art.

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (Instruction Departments)

Vision for Success Student Achievement Standards
Student Achievement Data - Course Success             
 Over the last three years ART-C student success varied from a low in Fall 2017 of 74.2% to a high of 81.8% in Fall 2018.  Student success dropped slightly in Fall 2019 to 77.4%.  ART-C student success rates compare favorable when measures against the college overall success rates for the same semesters.  College rates for Fall 2017 were 72.4%, Fall 2018 were 78.6%, Fall 2019 were 72.8%.
For the years of 2016-2019 the Ceramics program there were 5 students who achieved an AA in Ceramics and 15 who achieved a Certificate of Achievement in Ceramics.

Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)

N/A

Strategic Direction

Strategic Direction and Priority Themes 
1.  Enhancing a Culture of Completion and Academic Achievement
A.  Prepare high school students for college by:  (Thematic Priority #2, Thematic Priority #4)Art Department chair, Daniel Donnelly, works with high school arts programs to align curriculum as appropriate.  He invites high school teachers and their students to tour the ARTS building and advises high school students on arts career paths.  ART-C faculty assist the chair with tours for students.
B.  Align onboarding processes with pathways by (Call to Action):  (Thematic Priority #2, Thematic Priority 5) Ceramics faculty answer students’ questions about art program pathways and college services all the time.  Faculty take time to discuss the optimum order in which art courses should be taken, which art courses will transfer to university, which additional courses could benefit and prepare students for university, and which GE courses best support what students are learning in art.  If students are interested manufacturing and marketing their art, faculty mentor students about what is required.  Presently this kind of help often takes the form of Work Experience where student and faculty member write specific objectives with the goal of launching a successful Art business.  Because there is so much student demand for this kind of knowledge, the program is developing an Art Entrepreneurship Certificate to address the demand for art-entrepreneur.  In addition, art projects are focused on solving problems in the creative process, and during critiques students analyze the work of others.
C.  Redesign support for our diverse students by(Supernatural Aids):  (Thematic Priority #2, Thematic Priority #3)  Ceramics program courses are part of the AA-T transfer degrees.  Beyond transfer degree completion the program encourages completion by supporting students to submit their artwork to exhibitions held in and outside the college. 
E.  Scheduling Strategically by (Creating a navigable journey):  (Thematic Priority #2)  ART-C tries to offer sections at times when students are interested in taking class – usually 11:00am and 5:00pm. 
F.  Support Workforce and Community Development by:  (Thematic Priority #2, Thematic Priority #4, Thematic Priority #6)  
 In addition to what has been mentioned above about ART-C faculty mentoring students in developing art businesses, faculty and students collaborate to hold semi-annual Ceramic sales events at the end of each semester.  Ceramics faculty also participate in Art Department initiatives that promote community awareness and engagement, such as the August, 2019 Summerfest Event and the Open Studio Tours in October, 2019.
2.  Supporting Student, Faculty, and Staff Success
A.  Increasing Student Engagement by:  (Thematic Priority #3, Thematic Priority #6)    It is critically important to the Ceramics program that we create and maintain meaningful relationships with our students.  Our success rate bears this out.  We encourage students to participate in Arts functions and activities.  We encourage students to attend and participate in the California Conference of the Advancement of Ceramic Arts (CCACA) each year.  We use Canvas and email to communicate with students.
B.  Evolving the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities of Faculty and Staff by:   (Thematic Priority #3, Thematic Priority #6, Thematic Priority #8)  ART-C faculty regularly attend conferences and workshops in arts and in education, in order to enhance their skills and remain current in their fields.  Faculty members regularly exhibit their work.
4.  Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning
A.  Make strategic financial decisions by (Thematic Priority 5):  
             1.  Reducing costs through strategic procurement:  ART-C faculty members and technician continually search for the best price for materials/equipment available for students and program. 
B.  Align processes and priorities with the new funding formula by (Thematic Priority 4, Thematic Priority 6):  
             3.  Maintaining a focus on meeting established enrollment targets with an emphasis on access and support for underserved populations:  ART-C faculty members are aware that there is a large student-group in the community that has been ignored ever since the budget crisis, particularly in the Arts areas.  This potential student population comes from all walks of life, and often consists of older community members.  Offering courses that meet their needs would be an inclusive action.  It would reflect the college's move away from ageism, since it is often assumed that older community members are retired, don't need jobs, and therefore have no goals.  Once they are involved in an Arts discipline they often become interested in earning certificates/degrees.  In addition, it is the community who paid for the Bonds that allowed the college to build the new buildings, including $28 million for the ARTS building.  Expanding outreach to these members of the community would advantageous to the college because of the increase in FTES and student completion.  Expanding community members engagement in the Arts would enhance economic development in the county.
5.  Modeling Sustainability
B.  Reduce the College's Carbon Footprint by:  The ART-C areafaculty in the program promote green practices by recycling clay and using electric kilns for firing student work.  They developed a process for raku firing that releases very little smoke into the atmosphere.
C.  Demonstrate Environmental Stewardship Through Water conservation by:  ART-C faculty and staff use water judiciously, and encourage students to do the same.  When possible classroom and lab spaces are not hosed down but swept.
6.  Enhancing a Culture of Inclusiveness
A.  Enhance Access to Equitable Student and Academic Services by:  (Thematic Priority #3, Thematic Priority 5, Thematic Priority #6)  The Ceramics program is acutely aware of the diverse nature of its students.   Statistics gained through an art student survey, which included questions on the mental/emotional disabilities of arts students revealed that 22.5% of art students had mental/emotional disabilities, versus 7.7% of the control group(Art Appreciation students).  The program serves a higher percentage of identified Disabled and Economically Disadvantaged students than the college as a whole. 
Statistics for Fall 2019:
Disabled students in ART-S are 11.8% compared to the college 4.6%. 
Economically Disadvantaged students in ART-S are 48.2% compared to the college 34.3%.

Program Review

Therre were no recommendations made in our Program Review Validation Report that specifically focused on Ceramics.  However, the following commendations were offered in support of successes achieved by the Ceramics area:   





The Validation Team commends the Art Department on maintaining a high level of quality instruction. Full-time and associate faculty and department staff engage in professional development. They obviously work hard and strive toward making Arts-related subject matter interesting, relevant, and accessible to our students.  
Since the retirement of fulltime instructor, Idie Adams over 10 years ago, this area has been largely managed by Associate Faculty and Jacob Troester, lab tech., with oversight of Department Chair, Daniel Donnelly.  Margie Allen, Cathryn Hudin, Michael Murphy, Pat Koszis, and Jacob Troester are to be commended for carrying an inordinate load in keeping this highly successful program going strong. 

Department Goals

The goals of the Ceramics program are to:

cultivate in students the creativity and skills to formulate, create, exhibit, and market a body of ceramic work
assist students in obtaining knowledge of historical and contemporary ceramic artists, and encourage students to think critically about this information in terms of their own work
foster creativity, confidence, and art-entrepreneurial abilities in students  
prepare students for art-business and professional careers and/or transfer to an Art/Design school or university

Future Development Strategies

Requested Non-Financial Resources

Current Financial Resources

Augmentation Requests