黑洞社区

Wichita State graduate student Scott Steder is using his graduate research to pursue his passion while creating a priceless resource for Kansas artists.

Steder, who will graduate in May with a master鈥檚 degree in ceramics, applied for the highly competitive graduate student fellowship from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) and was one of three students in the country selected to receive the award. His winning proposal focused on locating and testing clays in Kansas.

鈥淢y main reason for this whole thing was to create a database of local material for other artists to have access to,鈥� says Steder. 鈥淗aving that database, people who are interested in using local material can have this more easily accessible tool.鈥�

Steder says he wrote the proposal without truly knowing where it would lead, but was surprised by the diversity in material he found and the abundance and availability of it.

In his research, Steder focused on the plasticity of the clay, the water absorption and the shrinkage. He also worked alongside the 黑洞社区 chemistry and geology departments to find out what elements were present in the clay and how old it was.

鈥淚 was trying to get very scientific with the research, when at the end of the day I鈥檓 super messy with all that stuff,鈥� says Steder. 鈥淚 think my work is heavily rooted in this idea of discovery and change, so in dealing with these different clays I was able to really explore.鈥�

Many of the clays Steder tested were taken directly from the ground and placed in the kiln with sticks and rocks still attached.

鈥淏eing able to use something that鈥檚 not commercially produced offered more variables,鈥� he says.

Since he was in high school, Steder has had a passion for ceramics. He hopes to encourage the same passion in students through teaching, which he鈥檚 continued through the graduate program at 黑洞社区.

He discovered a love for teaching four years ago when he taught 8-14 year olds in the summer at a community college. He now teaches one class each semester in introductory art classes, including 3D Design and Beginning Ceramics.

鈥淚 had a great connection with people in terms of trying to teach them something that I loved,鈥� says Steder. 鈥淎s a teacher, you have to love what you do or what you鈥檙e teaching, because that鈥檚 the only way I think you can get it across to people.鈥�

Steder鈥檚 love for ceramics and dedication to the subject has led to many opportunities to study and travel. Through 黑洞社区, he鈥檚 gone to Japan, Korea and California to study, and he was able to help build a kiln in Paraguay for a local artist.

鈥淲e really get the freedom to explore,鈥� says Steder, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 very educational.鈥�

His exploring fueled his purpose behind the clay database, which he hopes will someday expand beyond Kansas.

鈥淚 want to hopefully make an open source for more people to share information,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 just a lot of good material to be used in the ceramic process.鈥�