麻豆视频

Hands-on project lets CU Boulder intermediate ceramics students create functional and unique pieces for Boulder鈥檚 Caf茅 Aion restaurant

A bowl is not just a bowl.

It may seem like the simplest thing in the world, but it exists at the nexus of form and function鈥攁ble to live as art, but not useful in a restaurant if it can鈥檛 contain the gazpacho.

So, Kim Dickey鈥檚 intermediate ceramics students learned a particular kind of balance, meeting the needs of clients as well as their own artistic vision鈥攁nd doing it in multiples of 12.

听See more photos of the听intermediate ceramics dishes made for Caf茅 Aion

鈥淚 enjoyed creating pieces that would actually be used for their intended听purpose instead of sitting on my shelf or being dumped into a trash can,鈥� says Dylan Xu, a senior majoring in strategic communications-advertising. 鈥淲hat I learned is that you will break more than half of the plates you make.鈥�

Dickey, a professor in the 麻豆视频 Department of Art and Art History and associate chair for arts practices, and her intermediate ceramics students recently completed an unusual听project in which they partnered with in Boulder to create one-of-a-kind ceramic dishes for some of the restaurant鈥檚 menu items.

For the week beginning Nov. 6, Caf茅 Aion patrons enjoyed French onion soup and chocolate torte, crispy cauliflower and kale salad and shakshuka from ceramics the students custom made for the dishes and the restaurant. At the end of their meals, patrons were invited to complete comment cards, sharing their experiences of eating from handmade dishes.

鈥淚 thoroughly enjoyed all of the unique styles of dishes!鈥� wrote one, while another patron noted, 鈥淚t was nice, and I loved looking at them.鈥�

鈥淚t was so exciting to have the opportunity to work with a wonderful restaurant, to learn how to work with a client and meet their needs, to work to a deadline, and then experience what it means to have your art received in the real world,鈥� Dickey says.

An artistic and practical challenge

At the beginning of the fall semester, Dickey contacted Dakota Soifer, owner and chef of Caf茅 Aion, about a possible collaboration. She was involved in a similar project at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she received her bachelor of fine arts degree, and knew how much students could learn from 鈥渄eveloping pieces for a client and having that kind of public reception,鈥� she explains.

Soifer, a CU Boulder graduate in architecture, was immediately on board: 鈥淚 went to CU and have a sweet spot for being in school and being creative and that whole scene,鈥� he says. 鈥淐af茅 Aion鈥檚 a small, independent restaurant. It鈥檚 funky; it鈥檚 not super big, so we have the opportunity that a larger, more corporate restaurant can鈥檛 do if we decide we鈥檙e going to change all of our plates. Plus, I really wanted to support students and give them a chance to have this real-world experience.鈥�

Early in the semester, Dickey and her students visited the restaurant to talk with Soifer, discuss his menu and get a feel for the restaurant鈥檚 atmosphere. Then, they each designed a prototype dish for a specific menu item based on the cuisine and Soifer鈥檚 needs. Dickey asked the students to not only create their dishes based on the menu item, but to bring in two outside influences to inform their designs.

Soifer visited the ceramics studio to offer rigorous but generous feedback, so the students adapted their designs as needed.

鈥淲e talked about how, first and foremost, it needs to be functional,鈥� Soifer says. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 going to have some sauce in it or a broth, it needs a rim on it, and we don鈥檛 want the edges to be too sharp or too angular. We want guests to be able to get that spoon in the corner and get that last bit of taste. We also have to think about how are we going to set this down without getting our fingers in customers鈥� food? Is it going to sit level on the table?鈥�

The initial goal was to produce 20 plates each, 鈥渂ut we realized that was too many and decided to reduce it to 12 finished pieces per student,鈥� Dickey says, adding that during each class period students were making between five and 10 dishes so that they could experiment with weight, size and finishes.

鈥淚 learned a lot about making multiples and trying to get each bowl to be the same and to be stackable,鈥� says Micaela Del Cid, a senior double majoring in art practices and sociology. 鈥淚 also learned that I don鈥檛 enjoy making things exactly the same, because I am not skilled enough and I love uniqueness. I learned that I could make it enjoyable by doing different designs on each bowl.鈥澨�

Ivy Edberg, a senior studying art practices, added that she 鈥渓earned a lot about the standards of restaurants when it comes to the quality of tableware.鈥�

Bringing people together

After completing their 12 dishes, Dickey and her students took them to Caf茅 Aion, where they were used in place of some of the restaurant鈥檚 regular dishes for the week of Nov. 6.

Alicia Bolstad, a senior majoring in art, created a dish for the restaurant鈥檚 baked brie dessert, drawing inspiration from Moroccan architecture and tile motifs, and creating a plate shape that was based on a beautiful doorway.听Bailey Diamond, a senior majoring in art practices and journalism, created a dish intended for the kale salad, 鈥渂ut they ended up being used to serve a number of dishes, which was really exciting.

鈥淚 love wheel throwing and knew from the start that I wanted听to create a wide, wheel-thrown bowl,鈥� Diamond says. 鈥淚 took inspiration from the dish itself鈥攖he visual fullness of a big salad, and the comforting nature of it being shared among people.鈥�

Dickey and her students returned to Caf茅 Aion Nov. 13 to gather their dishes and, if they wanted, leave one there as a memento of the week. Soifer says that restaurant patrons loved the project鈥攄uring the week the students鈥� dishes were in use, each table had a small sign explaining who had made them鈥攁nd that the students successfully aligned their artistic ideas with the restaurant鈥檚 needs and funky, eclectic vibe.

鈥淚 was so heart-warmed by this project,鈥� Diamond says. 鈥淪eeing my dishes used in a restaurant was something I had dreamed about and wanted before this experience, and having that desire fulfilled听was incredible. It was a beautiful experience to see how much this project brought people together.鈥�

Top image: plates made by intermediate ceramics student Amanda Jack

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