Bridging the Gap: Connecting Through Clay

This exhibition of high school students’ ceramic artwork highlighted the rich connections among Buffalo State College’s ceramic design and art education programs, four Western New York high school ceramic art teachers and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Brett Coppins (Lewiston-Porter High School), Scott Losi (Pioneer Central High School), Ann Perry-Smith (Lancaster High School) and Matthew SaGurney (Kenmore East High School) are all alumni of Buffalo State College. Actively exhibiting regionally and nationally, these teachers have been selected consistently throughout the years for the Burchfield Penney’s Art in Craft Media exhibition. These four teachers have established rigorous art programs, which include Advanced Placement courses. They are committed to exposing their students to opportunities in ceramic arts. The works on view were created by students who were in high school at the time or are still in high school. They represent a retrospective of each teacher’s ability to bridge the gap between high school and college-level works of art.

For over a decade, Coppins, Losi, Perry-Smith and SaGurney have shared common visions in the success of their students. Their consistent pursuit of and dedication to quality student work in both technique and concept has given their students recognition at regional and national levels. Locally, honors have been shared in annual exhibitions such as Daemen College’s All-High Art Exhibit and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery’s Future Curators Exhibit. Their high schools also participate in Buffalo State College’s Clay Olympics, founded over a decade ago by Coppins and Robert Wood with the support of Sylvia L. Rosen. The Clay Olympics allows students to participate in a friendly competition with their peers. Nationally, students have received awards in Shaped Clay, a national high school ceramic exhibit established by Syracuse University’s Ceramics Program (held at the Everson Art Museum in Syracuse, New York), the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts K-12 exhibition and the AP National Studio Art exhibition. The level of achievement these students have reached narrows the gap between high school and college-level works of art. It also exposes students to the very active, demanding and rewarding field of ceramic arts.

Although these teachers vary in approach as educators and artists, it has been their education at Buffalo State College and passion for excellence in clay that unites them. It is with a sense of pride that they hope their students will get “hooked” into studying ceramics in college. One day, their passion will enrich the arts community of our region.