Monica Rudquist Associate Professor
Programs
- MFA
- Art - BA (CFW only) Associate Professor
I am ceramic artist and teach all the ceramics and sculpture classes in the Art and Art History Department. I am interested in how the arts can build community and create opportunities to learn from one another, to look closely, reflect, and discover connections and new perspectives. I have worked with clay for most of my life, and love sharing my passion with students and others. My own work begins on a potter’s wheel, thrown objects (such as bowls and cylinders) are my starting point—They ground me in the tradition of functional wheel work. Through the process of throwing, altering and abstracting these familiar forms, I re-imagine and reinvent the shapes and the spaces they inhabit. I make both functional work meant to be used and large scale sculptural installations. In the class studio, I work to build a community of mutual respect and exploration. In my classes students learn to work within a studio community that is mutually dependent upon one another. Many of my classes include service learning opportunities which gives students hands on experience using art to promote social justice. I also coordinate the St Kate’s Empty Bowls Project that brings people together, to build community and expand perspectives through shared experiences. The St. Kate’s Empty Bowls Project epitomizes my desire for clay collaborations grounded in community and social justice.