Kathy Cyman said her porcelain pottery class is the only one of its kind offered in the country.
The class introduces centuries-old Japanese pottery methods, as well as the history and culture behind them.
Cyman, who has taught the class for 14 years, focuses on the traditional Japanese Arita method, which is based on delicate and specific steps of porcelain sculpting. She discovered it when searching for a more testing artistic medium.
"I was a stoneware potter for 10 years before and thought it would be challenging," Cyman said. "I had no idea."
Porcelain clay's characteristics can make it challenging to work with, she said.
"It is very smooth and non-plastic, has little throwing strength, and can crack and warp at many stages because of its high glass content," she said. "I thought that I could develop a shorter, faster, easier way."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Cyman said maybe that was her first problem.
"When I would not follow the methodology, I found I would end up with it eventually," she said. "It just took me longer to get there, because I thought I was being innovative. But when the results are successful, there is nothing else quite like it."
The method began in Arita, Japan, when porcelain was discovered 400 years ago. Artisans in Arita developed a way of creating porcelain pottery based on practices found to be successful over time, Cyman said.
"Creating porcelain in this way was once a guarded secret that was passed down from family to family," she said. "Economic change and political change has affected the way porcelain, and art in general, is created and appreciated."
The method was introduced to the United States through Manji Inoue.
"In Japan, pottery making is revered and is considered one of the highest forms of art - combining something that is useful and beautiful," Cyman said.
Nicole Dellinger, a sophomore and student in the class, said the cultural context also interests her.
"For me it has become a way of life," she said. "I've fallen in love with the class and what it teaches."
The past few semesters the class has covered the differences between American and Japanese culture, Dellinger said.
"This method needs to follow a specific sequence of steps," she said. "American pottery is more of a free-for-all."
Dellinger said the tangible aspect is also a benefit.
"I love porcelain, making pots and doing something productive," she said. "It's even better to eat ice cream out of bowls you made and drink tea out of cups you made."
Senior porcelain student, Kendra Morgan said she would recommend the class because of the way it is taught.
"Art students are really missing something if they don't," she said. "You're not just working with clay. It incorporates everything - the culture, the history and the art. It's a well-rounded clay education, and you learn to make something beautiful."
Student work, as well as that of Inoue, can be seen at the Maxwell Museum exhibit "Shaping Spirit: 25 Years of the Arita Method at UNM," which is on display throughout the semester.
