Ceramics is More Than Functionality, It’s Artistic Expression

Feb. 4, 2015

Bryan Rachal, University Communications

FLORENCE, Ala. – According to University of North Alabama assistant professor of art, Aaron Tennessee Benson, when it comes to clay, people naturally want to touch it, “almost as if it’s addictive.” 

“Clay is moldable, it’s pliable, it’s tactile, there’s immediacy about it.  So you put your hand in it and you‘ve a left a thumbprint,” he said.  “There are very few, if not any, materials on the planet that are readily available that you can get that from.  So that immediacy is attractive to a lot of people because you can come in and mold it and make it to whatever you want.” 

That’s why Benson said his goal is to get the clay into his students’ hands on their very first day of class.  Benson teaches sculpture, ceramics and design II at UNA and said that ceramics has to be hands-on.  “That Factor is really critical for ceramics in terms of the art community and how to get people to understand and know this material,” he said. ”That material is clay, unless of course you’re talking about sculpture.” 

Benson said that when he talks to students about the difference between ceramics and sculptures, he talks about “this basic thought that if you work with ceramics your primary material is clay. But in sculpture, if you want to use clay it’s just another material.  You can use anything; it is all available in sculpture. 

Unfortunately, there is kind of a divide that if you’re working with clay, you’re a clay artist; and if you’re working with clay and these other things then typically you’re a sculptor,” he said; but those can cross over and easily and I want that to happen.” 

Benson’s own work and growth as an artist is just as important to him as teaching.  In fact, according to Benson, he’s an artist first and a teacher second.  “I come from a creative family,” he said. “My dad’s a sculpture and ceramics professor, but he’s an artist.  He would tell you he’s an artist.  I’m a teacher, but when I introduce myself, I say I’m an artist.  My brother’s an artist as well, so the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” 

It’s that vibe of “artist first, teacher second” that has UNA students raving about Benson; and he keys in on that, using it to teach.  He’s gone so far as to move his worktable from his studio to his classroom so his students can see that he’s really a working artist.  

“I want them to know that you can be an artist and teach and have a family and all of that. But I also have a passion for teaching and my students,” he said. “Each student knows I care about them and that I’m engaged.  If they had a show in Huntsville, I’d go, I’d be there.” 

But it’s not just the passion; it’s also about the students learning new skills and techniques.  Benson said often times people think art is just about being creative, and some would swear they don’t have that in them, but Benson disagrees. 

“I think everyone has some sort of creativity in them. One thing along with that though is drive.   I tell my students all the time I can’t teach you drive; you have to come in and want to make work, you have to desire it.  You have to wake up and can’t wait to get into the studio, and I can’t teach that,” he said. “Now that’s not skill; I can teach you a skill but then there is an element of creativity that has to be played on your part.  My grandmother can learn a skill.  I can teach her how to throw a cylinder on the wheel; it’s still up to her to be creative after she learns that skill,” he said. 

Benson said another key factor in becoming an artist is being honest with yourself and allowing yourself to be vulnerable. “By the time you’re a junior in my classroom, you have to write an artist statement and with that comes content and concept.  It’s critical, if you’re just making pretty objects, so what?  There are plenty of those out there, but the meaning behind it, the content. What do you want to say?  If you could say something with your art, what would it be? That’s what it’s about.” 

When it comes to his own work, Benson said his faith is what drives him.  He said he often struggled with separating his art and his faith, but he quickly realized his faith was too big a part of him to leave out.  “So my work right now is working out my faith,” he said.  “But to clarify, I’m not a Christian artist, I’m an artist that’s a Christian and so my work can go into any gallery and fit in perfectly.  The difference is that my work is dealing with some issues that not everyone is dealing with.” 

Benson said that when it boils down to it, everyone’s trying to figure it out; he’s just doing it on public display.  Benson’s latest series of work is called Settings.   He said it consists of architectural sculptures loosely based on the floor plan of cathedrals. “Somewhere on each piece it all revolves around a sphere or circle that has gold leaf or luster, and that sphere represents my faith and the architecture is me. I’m the vessel,” he said. 

Benson’s latest pieces will be displayed on campus when the renovation of the gallery in the art department is complete.  He said he and his wife are “truly enjoying Florence and UNA, and plan to remain here with their four children for as long as possible, teaching of course, but more importantly being an artist.”  

Benson said that as the years pass he “will hopefully be a better artist and that’s a loose term. But really what I mean,” he said, “is that I want to continue to pursue what drives my heart and be honest with myself.  If you don’t think art is therapy, you’re in the wrong field.  Art gives you a voice. “

For more information on the art department at UNA: http://www.una.edu/art/

Photos of Benson can be found here: http://www.unalionsden.com/archive/gallery.php?album_id=1094&photo_id=15254