Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Glaze and Colour
This course introduces students to glaze chemistry and develops the key skills of mixing and altering glaze recipes for variation in firing temp., atmosphere, colour, and texture development. Students undertake a research project to examine raw materials of certain glazes, mapping out some of the geological, cultural and political intricacies. There are weekly lectures which incorporate examples of artists who work with conventional and alternative materials as glazes. The aim of this course is not only to gain experience in making glazes, but to think creatively about what constitutes a glaze, to experiment with raw materials and to explore the politics and poetics of material origins and transformations that are inherent in ceramic practices.
- Expanded Ceramics
In Expanded Ceramics, students are offered an opportunity to explore clay both inside and outside the studio. Students test and learn from local materials, such as clay from the SoAD garden, and experiment with blending alternative materials into and clay for sculptural works. Lectures cover a range of concepts and artists that relate to the entanglement of materials and place. Ceramics-based projects are undertaken in relation to 3 sites around the ANU campus and incorporate other complimentary art mediums such as sound, video and creative writing. Students are taught an introduction to sound and video editing as part of this course.
- Ceramic Mouldmaking and Casting
Mouldmaking and casting is centred around the practices of embossing, embedding and creating multiples using clay. Students learn how to make one and multi-part plaster moulds, build experimental one-off moulds, and cast with slip. There are weekly lectures which incorporate examples of artists who use mouldmaking and casting in their artistic practice. Students will be encouraged to use divergent thinking when considering what it means to take impressions, record and duplicate objects, and to experiment with both the construction of moulds and the material used in the casting process.
- Ceramic Surface
This course investigates the dynamic relationship between surface, form, and process in contemporary ceramic practice. Students will explore how texture, mark, and process contribute to the expressive and structural qualities of form. Students will experiment with a range of material and textural approaches, including carving, impressing, printing onto, layering, and additive techniques, to develop an understanding of surface as both skin and structure: an active site of making, thinking, and expression that both responds to and redefines the underlying form. Weekly lectures will introduce artists who challenge conventional boundaries of surface, while demonstrations will explore techniques and processes that engage with these ideas.
· Wheel Formed Ceramics
In this course, students will significantly develop and refine their technical skills on the pottery wheel to create bodies of work that explore sculpture and an expanded approach to tableware. Students will experiment with different clay bodies and methods of surface treatment. Experimentation is encouraged, and the practical work will be underscored by a set of readings and tasks that position their work within a contemporary art context.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- demonstrate competency with a range of advancing technical skills in relation to studio area & contemporary art practice;
- independently explore the potential of material/s & methods relevant to the studio area and set projects;
- recognise and analyse precedents and influences on artistic practice; and
- evaluate chosen studio methodologies on the outcomes of studio projects.
Other Information
School of Art & Design studio courses have a limited enrolment capacity. Students are advised to enrol as early as possible to maximise the opportunity of securing a place.
This course will have a Materials Fee. At the ANU School of Art & Design, each workshop sources appropriate specialist materials, which are made available to students to facilitate their working effectively, efficiently and safely within our programs. The School of Art & Design is able to supply materials that don’t compromise ANU obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (WHS), and that have been assessed as suitable for each course. The Materials Fee is payable for the School of Art & Design to supply consumables and materials that become your physical property. You can choose to pay the Materials Fee and have these materials supplied to you through the School of Art & Design, allowing you to take advantage of the GST-free bulk purchasing power of the ANU. These materials are also WHS compliant. The exact cost of the Materials Fee will be updated in the Class Summary for each semester in which the course is offered. The full SOAD policy can be read here: https://soad.cass.anu.edu.au/required-resources-and-incidental-fees.
Indicative Assessment
- Portfolio of Studio Work (Project 1) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Portfolio of Studio Work (Project 2) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Critical Summary (500 words) (10) [LO 3,4]
- Contextual Research (500 words) (10) [LO 3,4]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 48 hours of contact over 12 weeks: lectures, tutorials, critiques and supervised studio practice; and
b) 82 hours of independent studio practice, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Not applicable
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 12
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $4200 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $5820 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glaze and Colour | ||||||
| 3961 | 23 Feb 2026 | 02 Mar 2026 | 31 Mar 2026 | 29 May 2026 | In Person | N/A |
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic Surface | ||||||
| 8973 | 27 Jul 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 31 Aug 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | In Person | N/A |