Sophomore art education major Madeline (Maddie) Pelna placed second in the kiln company, Skutt’s, National Student Throwing Competition at the National Council on the Education for Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference in Detroit, Michigan.
This competition challenged both undergraduate and graduate students to create the most inventive vessel on the potter’s wheel using only five pounds of clay and thirty minutes of working time. The event was judged by the famous ceramicist Steven Hill, whom Pelna had the honor of meeting and receiving praise from.
In the contest, Pelna decided to design a bowl with a loose, altered rim inspired by organic form. Even though performing in front of a live audience with little time to complete her bowl was difficult, Pelna’s technique and skill impressed Hill, placing just behind a graduate student from Penn State.
Pelna centering and opening the clay, pulling up and smoothing the walls, refining the profile, and shaping a fluted rim during wet throwing.
Ceramics & Sculpture Professor Harley Weigle, who accompanied Pelna at the competition, praised the attention Pelna received from Hill. “Stephen noted that of all the ceramicists that he’s seen, no one is doing alterations that Maddie is doing on the vessels she’s creating, which is pretty remarkable,” Weigle highlighted.
Weigle also explained that Pelna’s bowl used a relatively small volume of clay and soft clay that demanded careful handling, which further emphasizes how impressive it was that she was able to create a piece that contained such delicate and organic ridging.
Beyond the competition at the NCECA conference, Weigle participated in NCECA’s Green Task Force group exhibition, which focused on how reclaimed and waste stream materials can be incorporated into finished ceramic works.
Looking to the future, Pelna entered submissions to the Kauffman Gallery and recently had a piece accepted in a national cup exhibition. Her second-place finish among students across the nation attests to her personal talent and the instruction provided by the Department of Art & Design and the ceramics courses provided.
