Unique Ceramic Mug Project Unites Artistry and Appreciation

A photo of the three ceramic mugs made by Cal Poly Humboldt students to gift to donors.

A photo of the three ceramic mugs made by Cal Poly Humboldt students to gift to donors.

A photo of a student pouring silicone to create a mold for a ceramic mug.

A photo of a student pouring silicone to create a mold for a ceramic mug.

A photo of a student carving the clay mugs.

A photo of a student carving the clay mugs.

A photo of a student creating a mold for a ceramic mug.

A photo of a student creating a mold for a ceramic mug.

A photo of a student creating a mold for a ceramic mug.

A photo of a student creating a mold for a ceramic mug.

a photo of a student sitting down while mixing silicone together to create a mold.

a photo of a student sitting down while mixing silicone together to create a mold.

A photo of students working on creating ceramic mugs.

A photo of students working on creating ceramic mugs.

A photo of a student sponging clay mugs to be identical.

A photo of a student sponging clay mugs to be identical.

A photo of the three ceramic mugs made by Cal Poly Humboldt students to gift to donors.
A photo of a student pouring silicone to create a mold for a ceramic mug.
A photo of a student carving the clay mugs.
A photo of a student creating a mold for a ceramic mug.
A photo of a student creating a mold for a ceramic mug.
a photo of a student sitting down while mixing silicone together to create a mold.
A photo of students working on creating ceramic mugs.
A photo of a student sponging clay mugs to be identical.
The Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation partnered with the Ceramics Area of the Department of Art + Film’s Ceramics Club of Cal Poly Humboldt to create and produce over 400 Cal Poly Humboldt-inspired ceramic mugs as a unique gift for the University’s most generous recent donors.

“It was important for the Foundation to thank donors with a meaningful gift that showcases our students' creativity and the type of hands-on learning they experience here at Humboldt. I think the mugs are a really fun and tangible reminder of the important work they support with their donations,” says Associate Vice President of Development Teresa Wilmott. 
 
The Foundation funded The Ceramics Club of Cal Poly Humboldt to design the mugs. Student ceramicist Catalina May Carlton (‘23, Fine Arts and Art Education) won the design proposal, and the club hired a handful of students to produce the mugs. From the call for proposals on design to setting the clay mugs in the kiln, creating the hand-crafted mugs provided a valuable hands-on experience. 

“This project has been a fantastic, real-world experience for the students and very reflective of the work they'll have after graduation. Throughout the process, they received feedback from the Foundation on the design, made their clay, and tested various glazes and molds. I monitored the project for any assistance but gave them all the control. Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity for them,” says Assistant Professor of Ceramics Carly Slade.  

Student ceramicist Catalina May Carlton designed three mugs, each representing a different area on campus. One of the mugs was designed to evoke the Dennis K. Walker greenhouse dome, featuring a textured, triangular pattern similar to the dome's exterior; another mug is speckled yellow-brown and adorned with bulging banana slugs; and the last featured sculpted redwood trees and leaves. 

Carlton comes from a family of artists and found ceramics to be her calling after she was introduced to the medium. The ceramic mugs she sculpts outside of this project focus on mindfulness, playing on elements of sight, sound, and feel. 

“The higher level courses in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program made me realize that art allows me to look inside myself, feel, and find ease. This inspired me to design textured mugs that engage the sense of touch to enhance mindfulness,” says Carlton.

Students spent the entire semester working on the mugs at the ceramics studio. They created multiple molds, used razor blades to smooth out grooves and inseams, trimmed the mugs, and ultimately glazed and fired over 400 mugs for this endeavor. 

“Ceramics is super intense, but learning how to make these mugs has been fun. I wanted to experiment with many different textures, so this project was perfect,” says ceramics student Emmy Miller.

Slade believes this project has been a great experience for students and will be a line on their curriculum vitae, an artist’s resume. 

In creating over 400 unique ceramic mugs, the partnership between the Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation and the Ceramics Club produced tangible tokens of appreciation and helped foster a deeper connection between the University and its donors. 

Led by Carlton's creative vision and guided by Professor Slade's expertise, this project exemplified the power of artistry, innovation, and hands-on learning for all the students involved.

“I am proud that the donors are going to have a physical object that our students have made. They’ll be able to really see what we can do here in the ceramics lab,” Slade says.