One cup, two cup, tea cup, brew cup.
Ceramic cups of all sorts are occupying the LSU School of Art Glassell Gallery in the Shaw Center as part of “8 Fluid Ounces,” a national juried art show. The exhibit, which began on Jan. 25 and runs through Feb. 25, showcases ceramic talents from around the country.
Gallery director Malia Krolak said the biannual show began in 2002 to celebrate the University’s top-notch ceramics program.
“It’s a really fun show,” she said. “The idea is simple — a cup, right? But you get 125 different ideas from the same thing.”
This year’s exhibit features 79 artists and 125 cups, which is only about half of the submitted cups, Krolak said.
Andy Shaw, assistant professor of art and 2010 juror, said he looked through a multitude of applications from well-established artists and introductory ceramics students alike.
Entries for the exhibit are chosen from digital images of the submitted cups on the website slideroom.com, Krolak said. The pieces that make the show are then shipped to the Glassell Gallery, where University students help construct the exhibit, she said.
Penguin cup? Check. Rabbit’s head mug? Check. Monster-like creature cup? Check. From sleek, porcelain cups flaunting pastel flower designs to bulky, earth-toned mugs of unidentifiable figures — the show has it all.
One of the most intricate pieces, “Recycled,” is a sculpture of clustered cups, mugs and even a dinosaur figurine by Craig Clifford, a University ceramics alumnus.
Like all pieces, Clifford’s “Recycled” is on sale. The price of a cup runs anywhere from $30 to $300.
Numerous other University artists like Shaw, graduate student Jenny Hager and alumna Adelaide Paul have cups on display.
The University’s graduate ceramics program has ranked in at least the top 10 for the past two decades and continuously attracts incredible new applicants, he said.
“Some of the rock-star artists of the ceramics world are from LSU,” Krolak said.
Kristen Kieffer has replaced Shaw as this year’s juror. Shaw said Kieffer is a nationally recognized potter and was invited as an artist to the 2010 show.
Kieffer is respected in the country’s tight-knit ceramics community, and her credentials provide legitimacy to the show, Krolak said.
“We knew she had the background, education and talent to be a good juror,” she said.
Since the show’s first edition, “8 Fluid Ounces” has grown. Krolak said people didn’t know what to expect when the exhibit premiered, but it has become something that is looked forward to.
She said the exhibit is about communication — not “fancy-stuffiness,” as some students might preconceive. Ceramics is an art of accessibility and approachability, she explained.
“Ninety-nine percent of the reason we do this is because we want to bring art into students’ lives,” Krolak said.
 
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Contact Ferris McDaniel at [email protected]