Students looking to add a new spin on home decor may not have to look further than the front of the Student Union.
The annual spring LSU Art + Pottery sale will take place in front of the Student Union today through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The event, hosted by the Ceramics Artist Student Association, aims to enhance the art department through fundraising. Each year, the association holds two sales, one during winter and one in spring, which are the primary sources of fundraising for the program.
Naomi Clement, a first-year graduate student from Canada, serves as co-president of CASA.
“Most people don’t know that the grad program here is ranked in the top 10 nationally for ceramics,” Clement said.
The sale will feature works by more than 30 students and faculty, ranging from mugs and jewelry to large statement pieces.
Half of the proceeds go to the students, and the other half goes to CASA to fund the Visiting Artist Program and student participation in the Ceramic Arts annual conference.
The Visiting Artist Program allows the Studio Arts program to invite nationally and internationally renowned artists to the University to provide demonstrations, artist lectures and studio visits for students.
The prices of the works vary from $10 to hundreds of dollars, depending on size and detail.
For students with pieces in the sale, having people purchase their items or give feedback is a rewarding experience.
Clement also has some of her works featured in the sale.
“I love bright colors, but I also love food, and making objects for the table is really important to me,” Clement said. “I love to cook, so I like to make pieces that can celebrate that and people coming together over the table.”
Mechanical engineering senior and ceramic arts minor Ransome Little also has works available for purchase in the sale that have helped him explore his craft.
“I make all functional ceramics ­— mainly cups, mugs, bowls and plates,” Little said. “I also feel like more science students should seek out involvement in the art department.”
Much of the students’ time and effort went into the pieces,and a variety of methods were used to finish them, such as using a soda kiln in addition to gas and electric kilns, potter’s wheel and slip casting.
The soda kiln is a new addition to the Studio Arts Building, built by students last year and boasting a more labor-intensive routine to fire the pieces.
A mixture of soda ash and a water solution is sprayed into the kiln when the internal temperature reaches 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit, giving the ceramics their finishing glaze.
The slip cast method is used for shapes not easily made on the potter’s wheel. In this method, a clay slip is poured into a plaster mold to form the cast used to produce the desired shape. These techniques and more were used to create a variety of textured and differently sized pieces.