With the holidays just around the corner from finals, buying gifts may be the last thing on students’ minds.But the Ceramic Artist Student Association’s semiannual Ceramic Art and Pottery Sale may relieve some holiday stress. The sale showcases the work of undergraduates, graduates and professors in the ceramics program in the School of Art. Pottery plates, cups, vases, animals and jewelry are on display in tents outside the LSU Student Union from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this week through Saturday.Adrienne Lynch, art graduate student, said C.A.S.A. organizes the sale around Thanksgiving to attract holiday shoppers and to coincide with students’ finals. “We want to raise money to enhance the opportunities for ceramics students,” Lynch said.
Lynch said profits from the Ceramic Art and Pottery Sale will allow C.A.S.A. to invite professional ceramics artists to the University to lecture and demonstrate their work to students. She said C.A.S.A. also uses its profits from sales to help replace or repair equipment.Lynch said the money is also used to send ceramics students to the annual conference for the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. Lynch said the 2010 conference will be held in Philadelphia in March and will feature seminars, discussions and exhibitions of ceramic art. She said previous conferences have been good opportunities for University ceramics students to meet professional artists, see what’s hot in the ceramics world and make          connections with other students.Andrew Shaw, art professor, gave C.A.S.A. some of his work to sell to help students travel to the conference and attract visiting artists to the University. Shaw said artists who sell their work at the sale receive 50 percent of profits from sold items, and the other 50 percent goes to C.A.S.A. Shaw said this event gives students insight into how art galleries operate.Seana Higgins, non-matriculating art graduate student, said even though she focuses more on sculpture, she made clay tiles to contribute to the pottery sale.”I wanted to be a part of [C.A.S.A.] and contribute because I plan to go to the conference,” Higgins said. “It’s give and take.”Amberlee Roaden, nursing sophomore, said she will buy art from the sale because she likes to invest in local art.”It’s inspirational because you know they start with clay and turn it into a functional piece,” Roaden said. “It’s cool to watch raw materials build into the cavities of the mind.”Lynch said the prices of the smaller pieces are as low as $3. She said the jewelry ranges from $8 to $15, cups and bowls range from $20 to $40, and the larger vases and platters range from $40 to $60. —-Contact Mary Walker Baus at [email protected]