The next visiting artist lecture may mark the beginning of a partnership with the Ohio University ceramics department and the Huntington Museum of Art in W.Va.
Lisa Orr, a ceramic artist, held a three-day presentation at Huntington and then planned to go to Dayton to visit a friend’s studio and business. Since she was essentially driving past Athens, the museum informed OU and Orr’s visit was set.
“Hopefully, it will be the start of a long-term relationship with our students and the (programs at the) museum,” said Tom Bartel, associate professor and ceramics chair.
Orr will lecture Monday about her development from a beginner to a professional potter while also describing how her career consists of more than just her art.
“I have films on ceramics and side businesses that sell objects in catalogs,” Orr said. “I’ll talk about how all of that adds up to a career in ceramics.”
Before Orr’s public lecture, she will work with ceramics students in two classes.
The first is an introductory course in using the potter’s wheel and the other is a conceptual class. On Tuesday morning, Orr will work one-on-one with the graduate ceramic students.
Gwendolyn Yoppolo, a visiting adjunct professor of ceramics, said she is excited for Orr to visit her classes and maybe spur an “ah-ha moment” in the students.
“They can understand something with their own path in clay through hearing her talk,” Yoppolo said.
In the introductory level course, Orr will demonstrate how she uses the potter’s wheel. Although she might not have time to finish a piece, Bartel said the unfinished work could be very useful.
“It can be a teaching tool in the classroom instead of a museum piece that’s behind glass,” he said. “Her time here is limited but her purpose is to interact with the students and have a dialogue with them.”
Orr said she looked to the history of ceramics but always included her own interpretation and especially loved to make functional pieces.
“I love bringing art into everyday use,” she said. “Butter is a wonderful thing, so I love building a (piece of pottery) that glorifies butter and brings proper honor to bringing nutrition into our bodies.”
mg986611@ohiou.edu
