Pottery Classes

This article looks at how pottery classes and a ceramics major can create successful career opportunities. Majoring in ceramics might be perceived by some to be a flaky or dead end pursuit, but a B. A. in ceramics is a much more ambitious and potentially lucrative undertaking than many people think.

Pottery Making Classes

The perception seems justifiable at a quick, first glance, but the practicality and utility of a ceramics degree become apparent after a quick investigation into the field. So, here's some good information about the world of academic and professional ceramics and a basic explanation of how pottery classes and a ceramics major can create attractive career opportunities. Part of the perception about ceramics being a lackluster major is due to the creative aspect integral to all art majors, including ceramics, and to all artists, too. But the level of creativity that successful art requires and thrives on is exactly what makes an art major so attractive for so many folks. Creativity is by far the most important quality a prospective ceramics student and professional can have, and it definitely doesn't disqualify anyone from being serious, practical, and successful. In fact, a well-developed creative sense is likely to help someone become successful, admired, and useful.

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In addition, you can request information from Penn Foster about creative and design programs.

Pottery Training and Education

What exactly are ceramics? Ceramics are non-metallic substances (clay, for example) that has been worked by hand and with the help of specialized tools into shapes and forms--sculptures, pottery, earthenware, etc, which are then hardened (fired) in a super-hot kiln or oven.

In academia, ceramics majors are offered at the associate, bachelor, and masters levels. Most bachelors programs in ceramics offer a fine arts degree, as do most masters programs. Much of the work in undergraduate programs is hands-on learning about different techniques for constructing sculpted art forms, making molds, and methods for firing, baking, and finishing work. A ceramics major can also expect to have to take several art history courses that require a bit more book work and writing than does the studio work or courses like Wood Firing, Kiln Operation, Sculpture in Ceramics, and Wheel Throwing to name but a few.

A major advantage of enrolling in a university level pottery classes is all the resources that will be available to you: expert instruction, studios, spinning wheels, glazing technologies, and a motivated peer group, to name a few. So, even though you can be successful as a professional ceramics artist without a college degree or any other type of certification of formal instruction, the resources and experience a university ceramics program offers makes it worth digging through the mines of higher education.

Pottery Careers

So, you've gotten through school and you're ready to begin your professional career in pottery but now you need an answer for this question: how exactly do you make a living as a pottery artist? Most pottery artist either work for a salary making their goods; are hired for specific jobs or pieces on a commission basis; or sell their goods at a retail space, from their studio, or at art galleries. Self-employment, in other words, is often the name of the game when it comes to making pottery for a living. Of course, teaching at any level is a viable employment option for a capable and knowledgeable ceramics artist..

Expected Salary and Projected Career Growth

The outlook for employment as a ceramics artist is good for the next few years, The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that there will be average growth in the artist/artisan employment sector through 2014 as the economy continues its recovery and demand for handmade goods rises alongside it. It's a little hard to tell how much pottery artists/artisans make since there is much variance in their modes and degrees of employment. However, according to the BLS the 2004 median income for a salaried craft artist was $23,520; and the median income for fine artists was slightly higher at $38,060.

Pottery can be a lot of fun and for those who absolutely love it, the prospect of making a living as a pottery artist is tantalizing, to say the least. Hopefully, this information will help you to decide if a career in pottery is the right career for you, and whether to locate pottery classes in your area.

Pottery classes and ceramics lessons