Ceramics
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
This report was finished in February and has not been uploaded yet. SLOs were submitted.
Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (Instruction Departments)
From 2016 to 2019, there was growth in the Ceramics program. When the pandemic hit, we lost five associate faculty who would no longer teach. The Camp fire and the pandemic hit the program very hard. But, in 2022, we have five full courses of Ceramics, and we expect now that this growth will return and continue as we move out of the pandemic and no longer need to mask.
Standards/Goals for Student Achievement (All Other Departments)
The department is continually reviewing courses, certificates and degrees to refine the pathways for our student's success. We develop promotions for outreach to the community, and engage with high schools for both in-person and virtual tours of our programs and departments.
Strategic Direction
Our department's attempt to help meet enrollment targets include developing certificates that will entice students to take more courses within our programs. We work toward a culture of incusiveness by bringing a diverse selection of students into our Makerspace within the Art department. Bringing these students into the Space introduces them to other courses and programs within the department.
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 12 years ago, this area has been fully staffed by Associate Faculty. Oversight of the program is by the Department Chair, Daniel Donnelly. During the pandemic, we had five associate faculty retire from teaching, and we have had a difficult time replacing them. This Spring 2022 semester, we were able to find three new faculty to teach, but full-time leadership is definitely need to maintain the program.
Department Goals
The department is focusing on student outreach to the campus community and to the local community to entice an older demographic to our programs, while also reaching out to high school students who are graduating or will be graduating in the next two years.
Future Development Strategies
Strategy 1 - Support students to complete degrees/certificates
Students will be more successful in the outside world if they hold a college degree or certificate. Incorporate success and completion of the Ceramics AA Degree/Certificate of Achievement into the language of everyday instruction. Encourage students to explore other degree/certificate options within the department to support their success.
Initiatives
- Enhancing a Culture of Completion and Goal Achievement
- Supporting Student, Faculty and Staff Success
- Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning
Supporting Rationale
Students will be more successful in the outside world if they hold a college degree or certificate. In order to meet the Chancellor's Vision for Success goals we must assist students in completing degrees/certificates and to transfer to university. Vision for Success Goal # 1 "Over 5 years, increase degrees, certificates by 20% (that prepare them for an in-demand job) Programs and course sequences need to match regional economies and employers." In order to meet this goal we will need 6 students who have earned AA Degrees and 18 students who have earned a Certificates of Achievement in Ceramics.
In order to reach the Chancellor's Vision for Success Goal #2 "Over 5 years, increase by 35% the number of students transferring to CSU and UC. This increase is needed to meet the future workforce demand for BA. In California demand for workers with BAs in increasing faster the demand for workers with AA or less" we will need to increase the number of ceramics students transferring.
In addition, ceramics students who earn an AA/CA in Arts Entrepreneurship will be better prepared for moving directly into arts business or transfer.
Supporting Rationale Alignment
Supports the College's Strategic Direction and Priorities: Yes
Supports Program Review Recommendations: Yes
Supports Course level SLOs: No
Supports PLOs: Yes
Supports ILO - Think Critically: Yes
Supports ILO - Communicate Competently: Yes
Supports ILO - Engage Collaboratively: Yes
Supports ILO - Work Effectively: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Credentials: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Transfer: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Time to Degree: No
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Employment in field of Study: Yes
Supports Meeting Vision for Success Goal - Reducing Equity Gaps: No
Requested Non-Financial Resources
Advertising assistance.
We have developed a marketing campaign - Unleash Your Creative Side. We need help marketing this to local communities who are unaware of what we offer in Art, Design, and Performing Arts, or were put off by the lack of opportunities the college offered during the last deep budget cut and the repeatability changes.
Current Financial Resources
Art-C earns a small amount of revenue selling clay to students and during its semi-annual Ceramic Sale. These funds are deposited into the Ceramic foundation account.
Augmentation Requests
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Ceramics | Equipment | 11-000-512-1-100230 | $5,500.00 | $0.00 | |
| Brent Model 16 Pottery Wheel for DSPS accessibility | To make our courses more accessible to students in wheelchairs, an easily accessible throwing wheel is needed, along with additional peripherals. The equipment is easily moved and would allow the program to be able to increase our options when working one on one with students who need easier access. |
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| 2 | Ceramics | Equipment | 11-000-512-1-100230 | $2,500.00 | $0.00 | |
| Color Laser printer and scanner | As technology progresses, our Ceramics lab needs to embrace new ways of creating and augmenting the clay projects students are creating. A laser printer will allow students to print decals and comps for projects, and a scanner will allow student to bring new techniques into the program. |
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| 3 | Ceramics | Equipment | 11-000-512-1-100230 | $4,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| wasp Delta 2040 Clay 3D Printer | To entice students to take our Ceramics classes, and to teach advanced ceramics techniques that can lead to employment in the 3D printing industry, adding a 3D Clay printer can offer advanced skills to our students. |
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| 4 | Ceramics | 11-000-512-1-100230 | $400.00 | $0.00 | ||
| IPEVO VZ-X Wireless 8MP Document Camera | Students in the Ceramics lab have to gather around the instructor and each other to watch techniques. A document camera such as this will allow the instructor to work and send the video to the projector in the lab, so that students can be at their tables viewing and working on their projects as the instructor demonstrates. |
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| 5 | Ceramics | Equipment | 11-000-512-1-100230 | $200.00 | $0.00 | |
| ALZO Horizontal Camera Mount with Rotating Smartphone Mount | A camera on a boom that can synch/bluetooth easily to the media cart computer would be ideal so that the firewire doesn�t limit distance from wheel/table to media cart |
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| 6 | Ceramics | Equipment | 11-000-512-1-100230 | $2,000.00 | $0.00 | |
| Replacement computer for office | The computer in Ceramics is beyond the six year life and is barely usable. Students and faculty need access to a better computer rather than having to go upstairs into our Design labs to use the computers and other equipment. |
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| 7 | Ceramics | $500.00 | $0.00 | |||
| Reusable Quality Armature System | A True form figure armature system, allows students to work with human figures and is reusable. |
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| 8 | Ceramics | 11-000-512-1-100230 | $13,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Smart White Board for instruction | The Ceramics Lab (and two other labs in Arts) was never set up with a smart classroom projector or kiosk when the building was constructed. For twelve years we've been asking for a smart system that could be used to teach classes in the Ceramics Lab, the Sculpture lab, and Makerspace lab. |
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