The ceramics program at James Madison University encourages an experimental and interdisciplinary approach to art making. Our curriculum is committed to excellence in the traditional mediums while bringing about a strong synthesis of concept, materials, and content in each work. Students are encouraged to take intellectual risks while developing ideas based on individual, historical, and theoretical perspectives. The range of expression includes sculpture, installation, design, and functional approaches. The faculty work closely with students, discussing the ideas and attitudes that emerge in their work and how they may be related to recent developments in contemporary art. We believe that making art should generate productive thinking and promote new understandings of the environment we live in. It is our goal that all ceramics graduates be skilled both technically and conceptually, as well as being truly engaged with the world.