Proposition 19 may have been defeated in California, but the pot sale outside the Student Union is still going strong.
The Ceramic Arts Student Association holds the art and pottery sale twice a year in November and in April.
The sale, which ends today, features original ceramic art such as cups, flasks and even the occasional gnome made by students and faculty in the Ceramics Department.
CASA is a student-run organization whose mission is to promote ceramic arts within the University community, and unlike other art shows, the pot sale was designed with students in mind.
“It’s a really good opportunity to buy high-quality work at a good price,” said Brooke Cassady, ceramics graduate student. “The pricing is really affordable.”
Cassady said not only are the cups and other ceramic wares priced affordably, half of the proceeds go toward bringing in guest artists as well as sending students to the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, a yearly conference.
The pot sale also gives students in the Ceramics Department an opportunity to learn how to sell their work and what consumers are interested in buying.
Rebekah Gastinel, ceramics and art history senior, said she has learned a lot from selling her pieces in the pot sale.
“It teaches you a lot about what’s presentable and how to present your work,” Gastinel said.
Ceramics professor Michaelene Walsh said the pot sale is a valuable educational tool for students.
“It gives them experience in dealing with accounting, business and promotion,” Walsh said. “It mimics what they might do if they were to continue to pursue selling their work outside of getting a degree.”
Hannah Armstrong, studio art freshman, said she heard about the sale through classmates and was impressed by what she saw.
Armstrong said she appreciated how affordable many of the pieces were and that she believes the sale is a great way to publicize the Art Department.
Armstrong also believes having the sale outdoors increases the number of potential customers, as an outdoor tent is easier to spot than if it were tucked away inside a building.
Jayce Nguyen, biology freshman, said she also heard about the pot sale through a friend, and after visiting the sale herself, she made a purchase.
Nguyen said she enjoyed perusing through the various cups and items for sale, and the sale itself showcased some of the unique talent within the University.
That talent extends beyond graduates and undergraduates and even includes a few students not majoring in ceramics.
One such student is Ransome Little, a mechanical engineering sophomore with a ceramic art minor whose work was on sale this year.
“I did ceramics in high school and wanted to continue doing ceramic art in college,” Little said. “I spoke to the administration in the Art and Design College, and they were very understanding.”
Little said he is one of few students with a minor in ceramic arts and he enjoys the opportunity to pursue his passion while at the same time working toward a minor.
Little also said his experience so far with CASA and the pot sale has been positive.
“The enthusiasm of the general University population has been great,” Little said. “There are people who return every year for the sale and look for new pieces by artists whose work they’ve purchased before. It’s a great way, especially in the local community, to become known.”
 
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Contact Andrew Price at [email protected]