There is a small world on Northern Kentucky University’s campus where wood, metal and clay are king. Here students can carve wood, mold metal and spin the pottery wheel.

Ever wanted to get behind a pottery wheel like in the movie “Ghost,” or learn how to throw clay and mold it into pottery? The Ceramic Sculpture Society can teach all that and more. President Jonathan Stein encourages all students who have an interest in ceramics, sculpture, wood, glass, metal and art in general to join.

The society works in a state-of-the art facility located near University Suites on Campbell Drive. It offers a sheltered outer area with furnaces to heat pottery and ceramics and an outside area for bigger sculpture projects. The work spaces offered in the building include a wheel room, hand-throwing room, glaze room, and metal and wood studios.

“This facility for undergraduates [at NKU] is what schools like the University of Cincinnati have for graduate students,” Stein said.

Members of the club share their knowledge with each other and reach out to the entire campus community. What a member will get out of CSS is intellectual growth through sharing of knowledge, skills and appreciation of arts with the club and the university community. Through the club, members can expect to build new friendships between club members, faculty and the art community outside of NKU.

“It creates a sort of community where people can learn, create and bring in their own work to sell,” Stein said.

The club’s contributions to the community extend beyond increasing art education and appreciation. Occasionally, it sells its members’ artwork to raise funds for outreach organizations.

Last year, the society raised $1,500 in two days by selling artwork on campus. These funds provided earthquake victims in Haiti with 200 ceramic water filters to help victims.

“It was really nice to see the support of NKU’s staff and students because they were our only audience for that sale,” Ben Huber, ceramics and sculpture studio technician said.

Plans for upcoming meetings of the society include presentations by visiting artists to review the basics of hand-building and working the pottery wheel, as well as hosting pizza parties.

Any questions or concerns can be e-mailed to Jonathan Stein at steinj1@nku.edu or Ben Huber at huberb1@nku.edu or stop by room 110 in the Ceramics and Sculpture studio for more information.

Story by Derick Bischoff