The WKU Ceramics Club is a student-led organization and acts as a place to enjoy art and create something special in an “engaging atmosphere,” according to the club’s Facebook.
WKU offers ceramics classes at a beginner level, as well as intermediate and advanced, according to the WKU class catalog. The club acts as an extension of these classes, and an extra opportunity for students to get into the art. It allows a place devoted to teaching the foundations of ceramics such as hand building, according to the club’s Instagram.
While the club works in tandem with WKU’s classes, students of all majors can attend, according to WKU’s student organization website.
Senior Haylie Stapleton double majors in international affairs and studio arts. She said she started taking ceramics classes when picking her second major, studio arts. Stapleton said she had previous experience with clay and enjoyed it.
“Clay is so forgiving that no matter how many mistakes you make, you can always find a way to save it,” Stapleton said. “It’s such a challenge to push yourself in a medium like that.”
Co-President Micheal Bratcher from Louisville said he joined the club his sophomore year while taking a ceramics class. Bratcher said that his favorite thing about being in the club has been watching it grow in size and popularity.
“There have not been this many people here any year before,” Bratcher said.
When Terrance Brown became Dean of the Potter College of Arts and Letters in 2021, ceramics professor Greg Strange said Brown asked him to expand the club’s reach and membership.
“He was asking us to somehow get off the Hill and into the community to introduce what we are doing out here,” Strange said. “I brought it up to him that I would like to offer it to not only the students, but to the general public.”
Strange said he invited retired artists, professionals from the area and hobbyists to scratch their creative itch with the club. Now, the Ceramics Club membership includes community members and WKU students alike.
Lisa Kelton, an art teacher at Cumberland Trace Elementary School, said she joined the club this year. She was an art student, always loved ceramics and decided to study education as well, she said.
“I really enjoy using the potter’s wheel; I don’t mind getting dirty,” Kelton said.
WKU alumna Addie Cundiff graduated in the spring of 2024 and said she was a member of the club throughout her undergraduate years. Cundiff said that even though she graduated, she still attends every meeting.
Cundiff said her favorite thing about being in the club is watching people learn to use the potter’s wheel.
“There are just a lot of really funny mistakes that are made,” Cundiff said. “They’re told to start the wheel off slow, but then they go 25 miles an hour and the clay falls off.”
Cundiff said she enjoys the club because it doesn’t feel like a forced environment. Instead, it’s a space where anyone can hang out without any pressure to socialize and learn the craft, she said.
To get involved, the Ceramics Club meet in the Fine Arts Center every other Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Additionally, more information can be found about their meetings on their Instagram and Facebook.