Art within ceramic decoration

Paper presented to the 8th Annual Symposium on Graduate Research and Scholarly Projects (GRASP) held at the Marcus Welcome Center, Wichita State University, April 18, 2012.Research completed at the School of Art and Design, College of Fine ArtsDecoration in early ceramic work stemmed from the abstraction of culturally significant symbols and motifs now serves as a record of cultural identity. Contemporarily, the role of decoration in our visual culture has been relegated; commonly artists view decoration not as an element of cultural significance but as a dispassionate method of image making. I will research the use of decoration in contemporary ceramics and in my studio work and what role decoration plays with regard to individual and cultural narrative by conducting a review of contemporary ceramic artists and examining their methods of making and use of decorative motifs in addition to utilizing a range of decorative elements within my own work and incorporating decorative motifs.Graduate School, Office of Research Administration, University Librarie