This weekend, Mark Cole’s long-running ceramics exhibition arrived at the Glassell Gallery in the LSU Museum of Art.
Titled “8 Fluid Ounces,” the nationally recognized event returns to the University every other spring. It is a popular exhibition that attracts fans and artists from all over the country. Its popularity can be attributed at least in part to the success of the University’s ceramics program. According to US News and World Report, it is among the top 10 best programs of its kind in the United States.
Fans of the event are free to purchase any piece shown in the gallery. The prices of cups available for sale range from $35 to $100. This year, 240 cups and 24 other vessels will be featured in the museum. The cups are crafted by twenty-four different artists from across the nation, and every artist is personally invited by Cole.
Chandra DeBuse, who runs a ceramics studio in Kansas City, said she was very excited to be a part of the show.
“It has a reputation among potters as a really great show to be involved with,” DeBuse said.
DeBuse is known in the ceramics world for her distinct candy-colored cups and hand-drawn floral patterns. She uses the stems drawn on the cups to guide her viewers’ eyes as they pick items up. She designs the handles of the cups to emit controlled warmth so her customers feel relaxed as they drink.
“The pastel colors remind me of my childhood, and I think I convey that on a subconscious level to the people who are drawn to my work,” DeBuse said.
Many of the featured artists shared DeBuse’s appreciation but had their own opinions on the function of their art. James Tingey, a ceramics technician from Dallas, said he likes to use simple designs and colors for artistic reasons.
“I think you get a sense of wonder of how something ordinary can be made into art. It invites use and investigation, and it incorporates artistic awe into everyday experience,” Tingey said.
Tingey uses colors similar to the clay he builds from to complement this aesthetic. He also puts designs on the bottoms of his cups so users will be surprised when they lift them up. Tingey said the most challenging part of the process is reinterpreting something he made a thousand times before, but he added that it’s the most rewarding part as well.
“I make them so you can always find something more interesting about a piece every time you pick it up,” Tingey said. “And that’s what people like about this kind of art.”
“8 Fluid Ounces” is open for public viewing at the Glassell Gallery in the Shaw Center for the Arts. The gallery is open from Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“You can always find something more interesting about a piece every time you pick it up.”

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