Ceramics

About the Program

U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the University of Nebraska-Lincoln ceramics program in the top ten nationally. Our award-winning alumni are active leaders in the field of ceramics, and include full-time studio artists, university faculty, business owners, teachers and college administrators. Our curriculum helps you balance knowledge and skill-building with the freedom to explore broadly and develop an individual voice as an artist. Students can get involved even more outside the classroom in Clay Club.

Have questions? Contact us!

Faculty

Margaret Bohls Associate Professor of Art (Ceramics)

Eddie Dominguez Professor of Art (Ceramics)

Peter Pinnell Professor of Art (Ceramics)

Facilities

The ceramics area, located in Richards Hall, includes an indoor electric kiln room, a covered outdoor kiln pad, a glaze mixing kitchen, a well-ventilated clay mixing room and an organized tool and maintenance area. Classes are held in spacious hand-building and wheel-throwing studios with dedicated space for advanced undergraduate students.

Graduate studios are 300-400 square feet, private, semi-private and shared spaces located mainly on the second and ground level of Richards Hall.

Equipment:

Private and semi-private locking graduate studios
Indoor vented kiln room with 14 electric kilns, including a 16.5 cubic feet mid-range oval kiln (13 computer controlled and 1 manual)
Outdoor covered kiln area containing ten gas kilns, ranging in size from 5 to 80 cubic feet, including tw soda and two salt kilns. All gas kilns have sliding or hinged doors!
Vented clay-mixing room with two clay mixers and two de-airing pug mills
Vented, fully stocked glaze mixing room
Large materials storage area with a loading dock
Large hand building and wheel throwing classrooms with plenty of natural light
36" slab roller
Two extruders
Hydraulic manual forklift with a 1,500 lb. capacity
Vented dedicated plaster mixing room
Ceramic 3-D printer
Sandblaster
Fabrication Space equipped with a full range of woodworking equipment, two Epilog laser cutters, a three axis CNC router, a CNC plasma cutter and six 3-D printers
Digital Lab equipped with 11 Apple iMac computers, laser printers, large format inkjet printers (up to 44" wide), flatbed scanners, 36" blueprint scanner, vinyl cutter (with sand blasting/paint stencil mask) and a full range of photo documentation equipment available for checkout
Permanent, fully equipped photo space for documentation of 3-D work

Outdoor Gas Kiln Pad
Outdoor Gas Kiln Pad
Glaze Kitchen
Ceramics Classroom
Ceramics Classroom
Ventilated Clay Mixing Room
Indoor Electric Kiln Room
Dry Material Storage
Fully Equipped Fabrication Space
Fully Equipped Fabrication Space
Richards Hall, South Entrance
Richards Hall, North Entrance
Hydraulic Lift
Richards Hall, Loading Dock
Graduate Studio Space
Large, Beautiful Window in Graduate Studio Space
Graduate Studio Space

BFA Art - Ceramics Emphasis

Ceramic BFA students will be introduced to a range of possibilities in terms of forming and firing technologies. Working at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels, BFA students help to create and represent the studio community collaborating with faculty members and graduate students pursuing their MFA degrees. You have opportunities to take courses with ceramic graduate students on kiln building, glaze and clay body chemistry, and ceramics history. In addition, through leadership and studio tech responsibilities we prepare our BFA students for artist residencies, assistantships, apprenticeships and internships leading to a professional career or graduate study.

MFA Art- Ceramics Emphasis

UNL offers the MFA degree with an emphasis in ceramics and seven other media disciplines. The UNL ceramics program supports a wide range of approaches to ceramic art. Our Ceramic MFA program is well-rounded offering specialized courses on kiln building, glaze and clay body chemistry, and ceramics history. Graduate students have opportunities to assist and teach undergraduate courses, work studio tech jobs, run and organize Clay Club and the studio at large while leading by example to foster community and excellence.

UNL Ceramic MFA students have been potters, vessel makers, sculptors, mixed-media artists and installation artists. Graduate students share spacious, well-lit studios mainly on the second floor and ground level of Richards Hall and take advantage of a wide range of studio equipment.

One-Year Post-Baccalaureate Program in Ceramics

UNL Ceramics will re-open its post-Baccalaureate program in Ceramics beginning in the Fall semester of 2023.

The program includes:

an appx. 10’ x 10’ studio space in the undergraduate area of the Ceramics facility
24/7 studio access
individualized mentorship from the Ceramics faculty
support in building a portfolio and in developing application material for MFA programs or artist residencies
access to visiting artists in ceramics (generally one per semester)
the opportunity to sit in on the graduate level ceramics seminar/critique class in the Spring semester
the opportunity for membership in the Clay Club student organization which includes:
- financial support to attend the annual NCECA conference
- the opportunity to sell artwork through well-attended public exhibition/sales at the end of each semester
- a range of other social and professional opportunities funded by the club

Estimated Cost:

If accepted to the program, students would enroll at UNL as a Post-Baccalaureate student (this entails a non-refundable application fee of $50.00) and register for 1 credit hour per semester. The following numbers reflect current tuition rates and may change for the next school year.

$996.00 per credit hour out of state tuition
$571.75 mandatory university fees per semester
$260.00 ceramics studio fees per semester
$1827.75 projected cost per semester
$3655.50 projected cost for the academic year

Questions about the program or the application process can be emailed to Margaret Bohls: mbohls2@unl.edu, please put Post-Bac in the subject line.
Applications are due annually by April 1st. For application requirements and to apply, click here.

Kiln Building Class, Taught by Pete Pinnell
Pete Pinnell Demonstrates a Venturi Gas Burner
Kiln Building Class, Taught by Pete Pinnell
Glaze Calculation Class, Taught by Pete Pinnell
Glaze Calculation Class, Taught by Pete Pinnell
Glaze Calculation Class, Taught by Pete Pinnell
Pete Pinnell, Gail Kendall, and Eddy Dominguez Attending at Visiting Artist Demonstration

Clay Club

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Clay Club is a student organization that is a forum for free thought towards the intellectual, conceptual and formal qualities of functional pottery and sculptural ceramics. Clay club is a RSO for undergraduate and graduate students with a particular interest in ceramics. Our organization is meant to foster community within the ceramics department through group events. Through bi-annual sales, Clay Club raises the funds necessary to bring internationally recognized artists to Lincoln for demonstrations, critiques and lectures. In addition, Clay Club financially supports student attendance of NCECA, the National Conference of Ceramic Artists.

All enrolled students in Ceramics are eligible to participate in Clay Club. Participation includes the planning and execution of the Clay Club Sale, the Visiting Artist Program and NCECA Attendance for active members. Access to the ceramic facilities is exclusive to those registered for ceramic credits, while all Clay Club members are welcome to participate in our Throw-A-Thon events. For more information about meetings and opportunities, please contact us.