Fundraiser finances ceramics conference

A&M–Commerce art students are holding a fundraiser before they go to a ceramics conference later this month.

On March 25, the Clay Club will be holding their spring fundraiser to help pay for 12 art students to go to the 44th Annual NCECA Conference (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) in Philadelphia on March 31. The fundraiser will be held from 5:30-7:00 p.m. on March 25, this Thursday.

"There is a lot of community support for the ceramics program," Art Department Head Joseph Daun said. "The Clay Club holds two fundraisers a year and each raises a significant amount of money that helps underwrite the club's activities. The Club raises between $2,000 and $3,000 through these fundraisers and it all goes to the students."

Daun stated that more students are going to the conference this year and will possibly have to pay more than usual for the costs of the trip.

"Usually between Clay Club income and the student government, the students have had to cover only about 25 percent of the costs," he said. "The Clay Club received some donations this year so hopefully the students can raise at least $1,500 so that they are not saddled with too many expenses."

Students and faculty members make all of the items sold at the fundraiser. The Clay Club's fundraiser in the fall concentrated on drinking vessels and teapots. The fundraiser event this semester will focus on planters.

"The students attending the conference are responsible to organize funds," faculty adviser to the Clay Club Barbara Frey said. "For the fundraiser, students make stuff out of clay and their ceramic works are then sold."

The ceramic conference is a three day event held for a variety of people worldwide that are interested in the subject.

"The most significant benefit of the ceramic conference is that it showcases many exhibitions," Frey said. "Usually the students only get to see reproductions, but this conference allows art students to see the exhibitions in person."

The conference draws in students, educators and artists on an international scale. Frey noted that the conference tries to keep the guests and keynote speakers diverse. The keynote speaker for this year will be Terry Gross, award-winning host of National Public Radio's Fresh Air.

"At the conference, students will get to meet all the famous people in the media," Frey said. "It can usually be anyone from any field of work because we don't go to the conference just to hear about ceramics. The conference makes it a point to bring in the big players in the world at large."

The city of Philadelphia will also play a part in the ceramic conference. A bus tour will take art students throughout the city to see local exhibitions.

"The local institutions that host the conference generally provide tours of facilities and demonstrations of a ceramics process such as a new glazing technique," Daun said.

Daun thinks that the conference has a positive effect on the students that attend.

"I know of students that decided to pursue ceramics in graduate school because of their participation in the NCECA conference," he said.

Raffle tickets for the fundraiser are on sale to guarantee a handmade ceramic object and a chance to win a planter in the raffle. Tickets can be purchased from President of the Clay Club John Hill. His contact information is john@treeonthehillpottery.com.