Making pottery was just a fun, creative outlet for Susie Meskill until she found a friend and mentor who was making a living working with clay. After years of working full-time while hawking wares crafted with a borrowed wheel and kiln and also teaching elementary clay classes on the side, Meskill decided it was high time to figure out how her hobby could become her career.
Having studied psychology in undergraduate school, Meskill didn’t have the formal art training that other aspiring professional potters might and needed not only the skills but the guidance down her chosen path. Applying for a post-baccalaureate experience seemed the most logical step, and through a ceramics website, Meskill learned that Western New Mexico University offered one that suited her tastes and needs. She applied and was accepted to study with WNMU Assistant Professor of Ceramics Courtney Michaud. She is the first artist to do a post-baccalaureate in ceramics at WNMU.
Since beginning at WNMU last fall, Meskill has gained a better understanding of the art form overall, learned how to critique and describe her work and discovered what it takes to get into graduate school for ceramics while beefing up her skills and her résumé.
“Courtney has a good grasp on what’s going on in the field right now. That’s been really helpful,” Meskill said. “We have a weekly meeting so the accountability has been awesome. We talk about what I’m making, what I’m struggling with, what ideas I can stretch.”
Sitting in on classes and spending time in the studio have both been beneficial for Meskill. “There are so many different components that go into making a pot that I didn’t consider before,” she said. “I’d never mixed my own clay or glazes. Last semester, a couple of the other advanced students and I fired the kiln all by ourselves. It has opened up new possibilities.”
After having served as the teaching assistant for Michaud’s beginning clay class this spring, Meskill ran a hand-building workshop with students and community members. “Everyone got to make a mug or a catch-all dish. I fired them and glazed them for everybody. It was a fun, free event that brought different people from different areas all together to be creative,” she said. “Witnessing Courtney’s process showed me that teaching is way more than demonstrating how to make a bowl. It’s lending emotional support and really seeing the students for where they are.”
Meskill prepared for a solo show downtown during the Silver City CLAY Festival. “I’ve been able to see what goes into exhibiting all my work in one room and all the different elements of a show,” she said. Another experience that’s sure to be eye-opening is assisting visiting artist Jamie Bates Sloan for the festival’s headlining workshop on campus.
Meskill just signed on for a second year at WNMU. “I’m hoping to be a teaching assistant again and get a portfolio together to apply to grad schools,” she said.
But before the fall semester starts up, she will be participating in a two-week wheel throwing workshop at the prestigious Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. Meskill received a full scholarship to attend.
“I’m hoping to be a teaching assistant again and get a portfolio together to apply to grad schools,” she said.
About the Post-Baccalaureate in Ceramics at WNMU
Post-bac students at Western New Mexico University are given workspace and access to ceramic facilities in exchange for weekly work to help the ceramics program and studio function. Each student is will participate in advanced ceramics coursework and receive a weekly studio visit with faculty. Serving as a mentor to undergraduate students in an academic environment without a graduate program, post-bac students are held to high expectations and receive individualized attention. This opportunity is tuition-free and requires a strong work ethic, ambition and dedication. The duration of the post-bac is concurrent with the university academic year with opportunity for flexibility depending on an individual needs and preferences. Existing post-bac students are eligible to apply for a second year.
The WNMU campus is near the Gila National Forest in Silver City, New Mexico. Each summer, the town and university host a CLAY Festival that features workshops led by some of the most influential makers in our field. The area’s Mimbres heritage also provides students with quick access to historical ceramic scholarship, and the WNMU Museum boasts one of the largest collections of Mimbres pottery in the world.
This is a growing program and gives post-bac students the space and support to move forward.