The Butte College Ceramics Program offers a solid foundation in the technical as well as aesthetics aspects of clay construction. Although ceramics as a creative art medium is emphasized, students also study the interrelationship between industry, business and ceramics. Our staff strives to offer a well-rounded art education including instruction in the skills needed to develop a working portfolio for employment and higher education purposes.
The ceramics program has recently undergone major curricular revisions to align with the new C-ID Descriptors and to eliminate course repeatability. Beginning in Fall, 2013, we have been offering four courses: ART 50, 52, and 56, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Ceramics, and ART 54, which focuses on low-fire glazes and surface treatments. Beginning classes introduce and develop fundamental skills, while Intermediate, Advanced, and Low-Fire classes offer students the opportunity to develop techniques and a body of work that will prepare them for transfer and upper-division work and/or employment as artists. Students can earn a Certificate of Achievement and/or an A.A. degree in Ceramics. Classes are offered in a spacious classroom (ARTS 140) and Glaze Room, which includes an outdoor state-of–the-art laboratory. The Arts Department Chair, three Associate faculty members, and a lab technician are responsible for the operation of the area.
In 2014, the Ceramics dept was allocated Unit Plan money for a smaller, programmable electric kiln. Since receiving and installing the kiln, the department has enjoyed the many benefits this kiln provides (see below).
1. The kiln’s small size has saved valuable time by allowing a much faster turnaround for intermediate and advanced students who are testing experimental glazes.
2. It has enabled students of all skill levels to more successfully meet the timing deadlines for projects.
3. It has also helped staff and faculty to more efficiently fire works of art on time for students.
4. It has proven valuable as a teaching tool for advanced students who are learning to program and fire their own wares, using a technologically up-to-date kiln.
5. These attributes listed above have had a positive effect on our students’ abilities to more successfully complete objectives of the Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s) for Ceramics.
Under the guidance of Department Chair, David Cooper, the three Associate faculty who teach in this area, Lynn Facchini, Margie Allen, Cathy Hudin, have done a great job, without compensation, in collaborating to improve student learned in the Ceramics classes for which they are responsible. Here is an example of an action plan from their latest SLO "deep-dive" report:
1. Expose students to great examples of professional artists who succeed using the various clay-building techniques we teach. This will be done with enhanced digital media presentations, providing guidance to online sources such as artists' websites, blogs, publications, and providing information about great museums and/or gallery openings, etc. 2. Implement EARLY emphasis on the importance of practicing skills outside of class time to succeed, especially through use of open lab hours. 3. Delineate more clearly the time sequencing required to assure timely completion of projects
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College |
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Program |
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Indicator |
Source |
2013-2014 Performance |
Standard |
Five Year Goal |
Fall 2014 Performance |
Standard |
Five Year Goal |
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Course Success |
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- Overall |
PDR |
71.1% |
70% |
73% |
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- Transfer/GE |
PDR |
71.5% |
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73% |
82.5% |
75% |
85% |
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- CTE |
PDR |
75% |
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77% |
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- Basic Skills |
PDR |
51.7% |
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55% |
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- Distance Ed (all) |
PDR |
62.5% |
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64% |
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Persistence (Focused). Note: The Persistence (Focused) that is included in the PDR is a different indicator than the three-primary term persistence indicator, from the state Student Success Scorecard, that is used to measure institutional persistence. The Focused Persistence indicator measures the percentage of students that took a second course in a discipline within one year. There is no relationship between the college and program standards in this area. |
PDR |
72.6% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
67% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
75% (Three-Term) Scorecard |
28.2% |
25% |
35% |
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Degrees |
PDR |
1,455 |
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1,600 |
AA: 3 |
1 |
5 |
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Certificates |
PDR |
366 |
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475 |
CA: 2 |
1 |
5 |
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Developmental Strand Completion |
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- English |
State |
42% |
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45% |
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- Math |
State |
30.7% |
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33% |
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- ESL |
State |
25% |
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28% |
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Licensure Pass Rates |
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- Registered Nursing |
SC |
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- Licensed Vocational Nursing |
SC |
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- Respiratory Therapy |
SC |
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- Paramedic |
SC |
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- Cosmetology |
SC |
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- Welding |
SC |
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Job Placement Rates |
PIV |
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NA
The Ceramics Department supports the college in meetings its Strategic Direction and Priorities in the following ways:
Strategic Initiative #1 - Enhancing a Culture of Completion and Academic Achievement
a.2 Collaborating effectively with K-12 to set appropriate student expectations, align curriculum, and prepare students for college success. The Ceramics Department hosts informational tours and hands-on workshops for K-12 students on a regular basis.
Strategic Initiative #4 - Maximizing Resources to Support Student Learning: 1. Practicing strategic enrollment management that integrates financial planning with student need and achievement.
We tailor our Ceramics schedule to meet student demand and ensure that both art majors, who need specific courses for degree completion, and non-majors who need a course for general education, are able to enroll in the courses they require.
Therre were no recommendations made in our Program Review Validation Report that specifically focused on Ceramics. However, the following commendations were offered in support of successes achieved by the Ceramics area:
The Validation Team commends the Art Department on maintaining a high level of quality instruction. Full-time and associate faculty and department staff engage in professional development. They obviously work hard and strive toward making Arts-related subject matter interesting, relevant, and accessible to our students.
Since the retirement of Idie Adams over 5 years ago, this area has been largely managed by Associate Faculty and Scott Bryson, lab tech., with oversight of Department Chair David Cooper. Lynn Facchini, Margie Allen, Cathy Hudin, and Scott are to be commended for carrying an inordinate load in keeping this highly successful program going strong.
The Validation Team commends the department on its efforts to enhance learning opportunities for students, including making strategic decisions relating to “piggybacked” classes and “split” classes in Ceramics. The program is inclusive and attracts and serves a diverse student population, including older and disabled students. Students’ safety is protected, efforts are made on an ongoing basis to increase consistency in students’ experience in multiple sections of courses, and students experience high persistence and success rates.
Facilitate success and completion rates for students enrolled in our Ceramics classes.
Maintain our excellent facility to facilitate student success, and ensure a healthy work environment.
Strategy 1 - Increase AA-Degree Completion
From previous Unit Plan: Work within the State Transfer Model Curriculum frameworks to develop and offer an AA-T degree program in Studio Art with an emphasis in Ceramics. Mentor students to increase their awareness of these majors to encourage them to think of graduation as a meaningful goal.
Update: We developed and received approval for an AA-T Degree in Studio Art. It became available to students as-of the start of the last academic year. Because State approval was too late in being granted for the degree to be listed in the catalog, a supplement was produced by Heather Rau, and is currently in use by counselors advising students. Within the Art Department we have been disseminating this information and encourage students to work towards achieving this degree.
Ongoing...
Students who complete an AA-T degree in Studio Art are more likely to successfully transfer to a 4-year institution, where the completion of Upper division and/or Graduate study will enhance their position when seeking employment.
Strategy 2 - Portfolio Development
Better prepare students to market their creative products.
If we develop our curricula further in the areas of photo-documention of artwork and organizing a portfolio for presentation through traditional venues and the digital marketplace, we will enhance our students ability to capitalize financially on their work.
Ongoing...
Strategy 3 - Improve Lab Support
Work to ensure that all support tasks needed in Ceramics are able to be accomplished within the assigned hours of the Laboratory Technician.
The position of Laboratory Technician Scott Bryson was reduced from 11-month to 10-month with no reduction in workload. Consequently, he is unable to perform all the tasks that he is responsible for. This request has not yet been granted. We ask that it be reconsidered.
Strategy 4 - Maximize Student Success
Work to ensure that all equipment and supplies are sufficient to maximize student success.
Student success should never be impeded by lack of fully functional equipment and adequate supplies to complete required projects.
Strategy 5 - Maintain and enhance program quality
The position we are requesting is for a generalist Visual Arts Instructor: someone qualified to teach 3-D Studio Art classes (Ceramics, Sculpture), as well as some of our academic Art History and Art Appreciation classes.
Compliance with Agencies and External Mandates, and Need for Full-time Leadership:
With the support of the Office of Instruction and key leaders in the Curriculum Committee, we successfully developed AA-T degrees in both ART STUDIO and ART HISTORY. These have been approved by the State of California and are presently available to students. But our ratio of Full-time to Associate faculty is not optimal: In Art, we presently have just three* Full-time Faculty, two of whom routinely teach overloads to meet student demand, while the number of Associate Faculty is eleven. If we are to maintain the quality of our programs moving forward, we need reliable faculty who have a long-term interest in providing excellent instruction and leadership, especially in Studio Art, but also in Art History.
*This is down from five Full-time Faculty in Arts, due to the retirements, without subsequent replacements for, of Idie Adams (Ceramics) and Will Stull (Sculpture, Art Appreciation
Supported by Program Learning Outcomes, SLO Report, Unit Plan and Most Recent Program Self-study and Validation Report:
Six years ago, in our Program Review Self-Study, we requested a Full-time Sculpture Instructor. More recently, during our 2013-14 Program Review, we determined our present needs would be more completely satisfied by more versatile individual who can provide expert instruction, leadership, and support in a wider variety of Three-dimensional Studio foundation courses, as well as in Art History/Appreciation. Our 2013-14 Validation Team supported this request wholeheartedly.
Strategy 6 - Improve Ventilation
Goal:
We’d like to improve the ventilation above and along the glaze-making area of the the glaze room, ARTS144. This would improve the safety of students and faculty/staff in better preventing respiratory inhalation of fine particulate ceramic materials. This would also greatly enhance the work space and improve student learning by creating a more efficient layout to accommodate more students working simultaneously while maintaining respiratory safety.
Proposed improvement:
-A long stretch of exhaust ducting located on the east wall of ARTS144 just under the overhead cabinetry and spanning the length of the countertops below it.
-A plexiglass hood which extends out and down from the wall, and running the length of the exhaust duct, designed to effectively capture and evacuate any dust created while working with dry ceramic materials on the counter below. As a visual reference – we’re picturing something like the clear “sneeze guard” on a restaurant salad bar. The plexiglass would allow for a lower positioning of the “hood” so as to allow more effective ventilation with less fan power. The plexiglass would also allow overhead light through, eliminating the need for additional lighting under the hood.
-An engineered and installed exhaust system which moves air via electric fan from the exhaust hood to the outdoors.
Problems with existing work space:
As it is now, we have a single “Smoke-Buster” filtration unit that works, but is less than adequate. It does not evacuate particles from the room, but rather filters and recirculates the air into the room. It is only effective when working in close proximity to it, however, this work needs to be occurring all along the countertop of the east side of the room. It also uses a large amount of valuable counter space.
None.
None.
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Ceramics | Personnel | 11-000-512-1-100230 | 52210 | $0.00 | $4,500.00 |
| Year-Round Lab Tech Support | All, Restore reduced Laboratory Technician position of Scott Bryson to eleven months per year (Current Salary out of Ceramics, 22,392.48 per year for 10 months) |
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| 2 | ART | 11-000-512-1-100220 | 52210 | $0.00 | $99,187.00 | |
| Full-time Art Academic/Art Studio Instructor | SEE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES |
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| 3 | CERAMICS | Facilities | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | ||
| Improve ventilation in Glaze Room | Goal: We’d like to improve the ventilation above and along the glaze-making area of the the glaze room, ARTS144. This would improve the safety of students and faculty/staff by more effectively preventing inhalation of fine particulate ceramic materials. This would also greatly enhance the work space and improve student learning by creating a more efficient layout to accommodate more students working simultaneously while maintaining respiratory safety. Problems with existing work space: As it is now, we have a single “Smoke-Buster” filtration unit that works, but is less than adequate. It does not evacuate particles from the room, but rather filters and recirculates the air into the room. It is only effective when working in close proximity to it, however, this work needs to be occurring all along the countertop of the east side of the room. It also uses a large amount of valuable counter space. |
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