The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 54 No 1 April 2015

Sarah Ormonde, Sutton Grange: Fox Co untry, 2015, high*fired terracotta and porcelain body
iron oxide inlay, layered slips and dry glaze, max. h.32cm; photo: Ian Hill
pinch pots, but I wanted to just jump onto the wheel. I knew I could do it! People told me I couldn't mix
the clays the way I wanted to, but I just found some positive people like Janet Mansfield who helped me
to realise my idea. I did a stint in production and that made me competent on the wheel. That meant
that I had a proper canvas and could go on to create," Megan says. "Now I communicate with other
artists through Facebook, sharing ideas, getting inspiration, and I teach at a local pottery group. I am
still pretty self-directed. My making is often driven by a word or a metaphor, and that sets me off on a
path to make a series of work. "
The key message for ceram ics education here is about flexibility - about constructing pathways that
support artists to alter the pace of their learning. This allows people to pause at particular points to
consolidate, re-think, build their craft skills and move on. There is also a message here about continuity
- making sure that there is a smooth transition from one level of learn ing to another. This gives people
the opportunity and the confidence to continue. This transition doesn't have to occur in the same
institution, particularly in this resource-constrained environment, but achieving the transition requires
more communication between institutions and between the formal and informal learn ing sectors. That
would help to provide clear road signs for people who want to keep progressing. One challenge here
is the competition that exists between learning institutions. Shrinking resources mean that getting
'bums on seats' becomes a high priority, so collaboration between institutions often suffers. Rather than
fighting over what appears to be a smaller pool of available students, the solution lies in promoting set
entry points, learning pathways and options for a sustainable career as a ceramic artist. This will bring
more people into ceramic art and make ceramic practice more financially and emotionally appealing .
Lou McCallum has just completed his Masters in Visual Art at ANU. He has a studio in
Marrickville in Sydney and is a member of TACA's Education Sub-committee.
68 THE IOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS APRIL 2015