NVCC to shut down the ceramics program in Annandale
Students and faculty at Northern Virginia Community College are protesting NVCC’s decision to close the ceramics and sculpture studio at the Annandale campus.
“Although the administration calls this a ‘consolidation’ into the ceramics studio at the Alexandria campus, Alexandria does not have the space to absorb all the current students,” said Sheila Avruch, a volunteer in the studio who is taking classes as a senior auditor.
“There are no plans to replace the ability to provide sculpture classes that teach the techniques that are taught at Annandale, including lost wax bronze casting,” she said.
NVCC President Anne Kress got a “no-confidence” vote from the faculty in October. “One of the faculty complaints was making decisions with poor or incorrect data and without consulting faculty. This appears to be another one of those decisions,” Avruch said.
According to Avruch, Kress indicated that Diane Mucci, the provost of the Alexandria Campus, and the Arts Pathways Dean were reviewing the program. “But I think they have a clear idea about what their decision should be.”
A petition on Change.org urging NVCC to keep the studio at the Annandale campus says, “Getting rid of these classes will basically gut the associate in visual arts degree program on this campus.”
The Annandale campus has four ceramics classes enrolling about 66 students and a sculpture class with 17 students. The Alexandria campus has just one ceramics class.
Avruch worries that Annandale students without reliable transportation won’t be able to get to the Alexandria campus. She notes that after NVCC closed the ceramics studio at its Loudoun campus, most of those students didn’t transfer to Annandale.
17 responses to “NVCC to shut down the ceramics program in Annandale”
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Costs and return on investment drive decisions for every organization. Including government/ government sponsored organizations – which have an additional factor of interests. I don’t know what would be relevant for replacing or superseding the resources currently used for the ceramics program but for an example – healthcare is one area that has a greater impact & benefit for the totality of the community and imparts need / marketable skills for an individual’s greater income as well as a stronger tax base. Something like that could be a factor in looking at the costs and returns on the investment for government sponsored education programs. I’m sure there is a market for ceramics and sculpture in the private sector, but most likely not enough to justify with what limited government resources are available for the public’s greater needs or good.
The study of ceramics and sculpture benefits more than just future professional artists. At NOVA we have students in ceramics and sculpture classes as part of their required degree studies to be Art Therapists or K-12 Art Teachers.
Ceramic practice is well-known for being excellent for developing hand and vision skills necessary for dentistry and surgery.
Ceramic is also a high-tech material, and glazing and firing are in the category of materials engineering that includes studies in chemistry and physics.
A faculty member explained to me that beyond transfer and degree options, the program enables students to acquire fabrication skills, develop craftsmanship, and engage in artistic practices that lead to a wide range of careers, from studio assistants and workshop instructors to entrepreneurs and production workers.
In an era where many students seek non-traditional career routes, adaptability is crucial.
When you think of a ceramics class, you believe it’s not a marketable skill? Maybe you don’t realize what actually goes into these classes. Pottery teaches the art of perseverance. The first time that you touch the clay, the lump of dirt does not instantly become a useful object. It is through persistence and practice that you learn how to shape a ball of clay into something useful. It takes time, weeks to learn a single skill. And many of the skills are repetitive in nature making them meditative (think healthcare without the prescription drugs and side effects.) I would argue that pottery is preventative care, which is an asset to the community all for the price of a piece of clay.
The ceramic program at Annandale Campus is thriving and should not be shuttered. You can interview any of the degree seeking sand/ or community students and they will tell you the same thing.
The Sculpture and Ceramic programs at NOVA/ Annandale are unique in their advanced offerings. Their Professors are highly regarded for their expertise. Why can’t the Industry and Art disciplines coexist here? There a need for both Do we want to live and work in a area that primarily serves AI industries? The museums and galleries, theaters and gardens of Washington DC are part of what makes this an International destination and wonderfully rich and diverse experience.
This Spring about 80 students are taking courses in that studio. They cannot take those courses anywhere else in campus, because they need the equipment in it for ceramics and sculpture.The studio itself is a space that will need probably need expensive renovation to be used for something else. Rumor is it was going to be used for a gym or weight room, although Dr. Kress, the NOVA President, has denied that. Having ceramics/sculpture classes at Annandale enrich students. The studio is partly supported by its own fundraising efforts. Education in the arts and humanities help students develop critical thinking and communication skills, and the ability to conceive a project and carry it through completion.
Not to mention that the Annandale Campus ceramics studio has been fulfilling the endorsement requirements for Art Teachers that attend other Universities in the area, like George Mason, who do not have the facilities to offer these specialty subjects (ie: ceramics). NVCC Annandale has been educating and supporting these future teachers every semester, even the summer, and not all of them have the extra hour in their tight schedules to commute to the Alexandria campus (even if they had the space to accommodate- which they don’t).
It’s a pure shame that being a teacher is not considered a viable career path because our society and gov’t do not value (offer a livable wage) to its very own foundation (teachers) and that Art is considered less than by so many administrators. Without the Arts – society as we know it would not exist. Have you all forgotten so quickly how everyone sought out some form of catharsis through craft during the Covid Pandemic!!!??? The Annandale campus pushed through- maintained its operational status during our required distancing struggles and continued to support our students. Where other programs simply stopped because they didn’t fight for the needs (not wants) of their community.
I get it. It’s all about the money. It’s so sad. Even more so because this dept has consistently proven itself through increased enrollments every semester, where other more “profitable professions” have declined in numbers.
Learning how to creatively troubleshoot is a vital skill I know I’ve learned through the arts- ceramics and sculpture in particular. ALL professions & companies would greatly benefit from employing individuals with these skills. These specific courses should be mandatory for all degrees.
JTR’s comment implies that cutting Art and Art education has no impact on a community. The opposite is true. I have had nursing students take Ceramics and Sculpture classes at my college because they needed a creative break from the demands of their regular coursework. In that context, Ceramics and Sculpture have helped people succeed in achieving a degree in a healthcare field. Neuroscience has documented the positive effects art and art education have on individuals in terms of stress relief and improved cognitive function. It is sad that there are still people who view art and art education as expensive luxuries rather than important parts of a thriving community.
I taught ceramics at the Annandale campus for many years, retiring in 2011. I am sad and disturbed to read this news. I feel strongly that this program benefits both students and the community in a myriad of ways and that it would be truly detrimental to those students and to the college and community at large if this program is terminated. Over my many years of teaching, I observed ceramics students taking away many valuable life lessons and skills from the class. First of all they learned and sharpened their problem solving skills as they learned to create a functional or sculptural piece out of a lump of clay…no mean feat! They learned to call on both sides of their brain each time they contemplated a new piece, certainly sharpening and becoming more proficient and creative in problem solving overall. They also learned to be proficient at observation, evaluation and record keeping as they wrote down their processes for making and glazing each piece and observed and evaluated theirs and their classmate’s results. Once enrolled in Ceramics they became immediate collaborators as they worked together to mix and share glazes, load the kiln, keep common areas orderly and clean, share ideas and observations and help each other achieve success. And, as NOVA’s student population is extremely diverse they learned the truly invaluable lesson of successfully collaborating with students from many different backgrounds and age groups.
My students included dental students who were sent to my class to learn dexterity and sharpen their fine motor skills, teachers, who were fulfilling their professional development requirements, students who wanted to explore a creative process to enrich their lives and many, who were simply filling a humanities requirement and fell in love with the process of creating with clay. Some of my former students have gone on to become full-time potters, art teachers and university art professors. I have no doubt that many others of them have taken the life skills they learned from studying ceramics to the many and varied professions they have pursued thus enriching their communities.
I sincerely hope and strongly suggest you reconsider your decision to terminate this highly valuable program.
Please send your letters of support and personal accounts to these Adminstrators at NVCC (below) and any others you think could assist in talking sense into them- let’s get this devastating decision reversed before it’s too late!
The community should have a fair say in what their taxes fund and what truly benefits the COMMUNITY.
Dr. Dorè. [email protected]
Anne Kress. [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
I am sad to read about this situation. I took Ceramics many years ago at NOVA and have continued making pottery even though I became an Attorney. Ceramics enriches life. It provides community, beauty, and tranquility.
The U.S. is one of very few countries that think of the arts as frivolous, to our detriment.
Honestly; I was actually called an “elitist” for speaking in defense of the Kennedy Center. (Which, btw, does not take government funding for its performers–only the operation and maintenance of the building. It raises twice as much or more for its shows, outreach, and arts education via donations.)
The respondent clearly knows nothing about the Kennedy Center’s vision, mission, and broad offerings. They’re just angry and looking to take away someone else’s joy and others’ opportunities. By contrast, I guess I do have *something* over them.
My wife learned Pottery making at NOVA Annandale Campus as a senior citizen. It provided her opportunity to express creativity and now, our house has over 150 creations. It helps reduce BP and is a meditative experience. Please keep the facility at NOVA Annandale Campus. Thanks.
Annandale does not do any lost wax casting and hasnt since the dang 1990s. Lets at least be truthful. The main issue here is that the admin deosnt seem to understand the distance students will now need to travel for ceramics or sculpture class. going from Annandale to Woodbridge or Loudon is insane.
The Annandale Campus started back up their metal casting furnace in about 2015, and has been producing aluminum and bronze casts using lost wax and ceramic shell processes every semester for the last decade. They even purchased a brand new furnace last year to upgrade that old one from the 1990’s.