Project-Based Courses
The Ceramics Program offers students the opportunity to hone not only their art-making skills but also their awareness of ecological matters. Take for example the "Designing Ecology: Ano Nuevo Island" course, which was offered in spring 2010 as part of ENGAGE at CCA, an innovative initiative housed at the Center for Art and Public Life that combines the Community Arts Program’s successful model of community engagement with the project-based learning approach of the architecture and design disciplines.
Activated across academic programs, ENGAGE at CCA serves as a hub to connect interested faculty and students to community partners and relevant outside experts.
Designing Ecology: Ano Nuevo Island
CERAM370, spring 2010
Instructor: Nathan Lynch, Chair & Advisor
Course description
This interdisciplinary studio course examines the role of the artist and designer in the context of an ongoing habitat restoration project on Ano Nuevo Island, a nature preserve located off the coast of Santa Cruz. Working in collaboration with local art and design studio REBAR and Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, an international conservation biology nonprofit organization, students help design a functional ceramic nest module that will be used as shelter by the Rhinoceros Auklet, a burrowing seabird listed as a "species of concern" by the State of California.
This course offers hands-on opportunity for students from any creative discipline to contribute to an applied design solution that is a critical element of a long-term habitat restoration project on Ano Nuevo Island. While primarily a Ceramics studio course, cross-disciplinary discourse and design strategies are encouraged.
This course includes field excursions to Ano Nuevo Island as well as guest lectures from practitioners with a range of disciplinary backgrounds, including art, landscape design, and restoration ecology.
Pie Ranch
UDISC, Summer 2008
Instructor: Nathan Lynch, Chair & Advisor
Course description
This interdisciplinary, field-based course focused on land use, food systems and ecological interventions. Working closely with Pie Ranch and Mission Pie students took several trips to the Ranch in Davenport, California, to camp, study, experiment, and participate in the local food system. Full course description »
FOR-SITE Foundation
CERAM370, spring 2008
Instructor: Nathan Lynch, Chair & Advisor
Course description
This interdisciplinary, field-based course focused on earthworks, land use, and ecological interventions. In addition to studying major earthworks from across the globe, the class visited local artists, ecologists, and historians to learn from the specific history of the Nevada City, California, landscape. Full course description »
