Raleigh Hightower
Lifestyle Editor
[email protected]

The Murray State Clay Club has returned to Murray State, giving students interested in ceramics an environment to share and maintain their skills.

Students decided it was time to revive the Clay Club because of the demand to have access to the ceramics studio outside of the traditional classroom atmosphere.

The Clay Club is open to all students who have completed at least one ceramics course at Murray State.

The club is led by faculty adviser John Utgaard and Club President Melissa French. Utgaard joined the Department of Art and Design in 2004 as an assistant professor of ceramics.

Prior to his time at Murray State, Utgaard taught at The University of Texas at Austin and Pennsylvania State University. He also worked as an artist-in-residence at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana.

French is a junior non-traditional student. She is a native of Graves County and was drawn to Murray State because it was her husband’s alma mater. Outside of the club and her studies, French is a mother of two children.

One of the Clay Club’s main goals is to raise funds for the annual National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Conference (NCECA). French says the conference offers an array of opportunities to ceramics students.

“This conference provides an opportunity for our students to have seminars, master classes, see fellow ceramicist’s work, apply for juried exhibitions and inquire with representatives in the expo about master’s programs, internships and residency programs,” French said.

The club also plans to use some of their funds to invite artists to speak about their art and demonstrate their techniques.

The club’s first fundraising initiative was held this week. On Monday, Feb. 14, the club sold heart-shaped oil diffusers in the Old Fine Arts lobby in celebration of Valentine’s Day.

“The Valentine’s sale was a huge success,” French said. “We were able to make enough to provide each of our member’s admission to this year’s virtual NCECA Conference.”

Moving forward, the club will continue its fundraising efforts. The club intends on hosting another sale around Halloween during the “Monster Mash” event. The club also plans to host a Christmas sale at the end of semester next fall.

The club will participate in a charity initiative in partnership with the Murray Art Guild. The Clay Club will be creating bowls to be sold in the “Empty Bowls Project” meant to combat hunger.

The Murray Art Guild will be participating in the project by hosting bowl-making workshops designed for people with no prior ceramics experience.

Murray Art Guild will resume in-person workshops for the Empty Bowls Project on April 1 and will continue the workshops through Oct. 31.

There are several different activities being planned for members of the Clay Club, such as bowling, the Great Pottery Throwdown Competition, the Wild Clay Creek hike, a fall bonfire and monthly ceramic-making sessions.

French and Utgaard are planning to fill several club leadership positions in upcoming meetings, according to the club’s Instagram page.

The Clay Club is currently accepting nominations for vice-president, secretary and treasurer.

The Clay Club invites all ceramics students and any student who has taken a ceramics course to join them. To keep up with the Clay Club, follow their Instagram page, @msuclayclub, or join their newsletter by contacting [email protected].