Advanced Ceramics students present work in gallery

The pieces from Yolani Alvarezs 16 collection were inspired by her fascination with culture.

Photo credit: Erica Dick

The pieces from Yolani Alvarez’s ’16 collection were inspired by her fascination with culture.


Advanced Ceramics students Olivia Hogan ’15, Chloe Hallinan ’15, Madison Florian ’15 and Yolani Alvarez ’16 presented their most recent works in the upstairs art gallery on April 16 at X-Block.

The students have taken the ceramics class, taught by Sue Sullivan, for three years.

Florian credited the inspiration for her pieces to traveling.

“In different places around the world I found that tea was a very prevalent thing. When I got back, that was the thing I wanted to do in ceramics. I realized that was something I could achieve, to kind of create my own take on a tea cup. So, I made three little sets of tea cups,” Florian said.

For Hogan, there wasn’t a specific inspiration.

“For the most part, I just like to make really functional stuff, I made a couple of teapots, a lot of really big bowls and cereal. A lot of cereal bowls,” Hogan said.

“My favorite piece is my dark green case,” Hallinan said. “My collection was inspired by Japanese Ceramics.”

“I was inspired by the documentary, ‘La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus’ by Mark Kendall, a film that focuses on restored school buses and how bus drivers have been murdered for either refusing or being unable to pay the extortion money demanded by local gangs,” Alvarez said.

“Through my work, I portrayed a radiant portion of my heritage but I also wanted the spectators to know the violence that lies within Central American countries,” she said.

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  • The collection of teacups by Florian ’15: Erica Dick ’18

  • Two pieces in the gallery by Hallinan ’15. Photographer: Erica Dick ’18

  • Hogan’s ’15 collection of bowls being displayed in the gallery.

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