Why A-ware studio?
As a professor of ceramics for over 17 years, I have worked with many students who have gone on to have meaningful and successful careers in the field. However, the transition from college to the professional world is rarely easy or straightforward. I have come to understand how crucial work experience is when it comes to launching a career as an artist. With this in mind, it felt right to brand the work we do and give it an identity in the world.
A-ware Studio is an entrepreneurial project where students can gain professional experience as artists. It all starts at the CSUSB Department of Art & Design where students go through a comprehensive ceramics program. As students near the completion of their degree, the goal is to provide supported professional opportunities to gain work experience in art production, object design, community-based art, and marketing. A-ware Studio is where all this is happening with the potential for so much more.
This whole concept started with one of my very first students, Anna Delgado. We met in 2006 when she came to our program straight from high school. She had the rare combination of drive, artistic talent, and skill that made it really easy for us to work together. I hired Anna to work with me on several projects, particularly when I was pregnant with both my kids. Whether we were making ceramic tile murals for public art, or mixed media sculpture for museum exhibitions, she was always up for anything. After several years of working on a range of projects, Anna got a full scholarship to graduate school and away she went. Fast forward a decade and now she is a tenured Professor at San Diego City College and back working on our current project, Eternal Learning. She has grown into an incredible artist, successful educator, and dear friend, whom I greatly admire.
After reflecting on Anna’s story, along with so many other student stories I am proud to be a part of, I realized that A-ware Studio was another opportunity that I can give my students. While most of our work takes place at CSUSB, A-ware Studio is an extension of the curriculum. Emerging artists gain more than mentoring in ceramics production, but also exposure to art and entrepreneurship, focusing on marketing and promotion, project management, and special projects in the local community. My hope is that A-ware Studio can provide a pivotal experience for art students to both confidently enter the art world and become equipped to build and sustain a small business so they can find their way to thrive as artists in the field of ceramics.
Stay tuned for an introduction to our A-ware Studio Artists while they work on our current project, Eternal Learning. It is gonna be a busy summer!