Some students say there is nothing more liberating than being able to express yourself in the manner you see fit with the rest of the world. This is case with University of Memphis ceramic arts students.
Starting today, "Playing with Fire" will begin in Jones Hall and nearly 20 ceramic art students will have their work on display until Dec. 4. The sale will only be held Nov. 7-8. It is titled "Playing with Fire" because ceramics are baked until dry.
However, if an artist has a piece on display, that does not necessarily mean it is on sale. Similarly, some works available for purchase aren't always displayed.
Anna Hinnenkamp, a graduate ceramics major, said she feels passionately about the art of ceramics. She likes the flexibility of the clay.
"To be perfectly frank, it's the immediacy of the clay, what you can do with it," she said. "You can do anything you want with it. If you want it to dimple, all you have to use is your thumb to make an impression. With steel you have to use a hammer and with wood you have to carve it."
Hinnenkamp is also president of the Clay Club, the organization behind the show.
"It is my second year," she said.
The artists sell their work by making available their contact information to a prospective buyer, then calls to negotiate a price. The show is a way to raise money not only for the art department but as a way for students in go to National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference that will be held in Portland, Ore. March 8-11.
"We send about three or four a year," said professor Nancy White.
Attendance to the event and participation are voluntary.
"Whoever wants to go in the class is eligible," she said.
White said the event began at The University 10 years ago as a way for students to get a taste of what it is like to be a professional artist.
"They have to learn how to put their work up and present it," she said.
"It gives the work quality."
Bryan Blankenship, an assistant at the museum art, is participating in the sale, but not in the show.
He makes functional stoneware such a pots, plates and bowls.
"I have been doing the show for five years," he said.
He is the only non-student participating in the event. He is not too particular about the process of the sale but enjoys the recognition.
"It makes me glad when someone finds my work useful," Blankenship said.
His favorite pieces to make are bowls.
"The simplicity of it," he said. "You can do so much with this vessel," he said.
White hopes that students and faculty will appreciate the pieces.
"I just want people to see the diversity of what you can do with the material," she said.
