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Maia Danks | Episode 783
Maia Danks is a senior at Carleton College, where she is a studio art and biology double major. Maia started Octopus Ceramics about 5 years ago when she was in high school. Maia has been exploring functional ceramics and the connection between user and artist through her work.
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What is your art thesis that you are working towards?
At Carlton we call it comps instead of thesis so you can do any medium you want to do and any topic you want to do for the art major. So it’s basically have fun and experiment with something you are excited about. Surprise, surprise I picked ceramics. I am doing mine on functional ware. I have been doing mostly mugs, so I am using stoneware clay with a white slip on the outside and making slip textures on the outside with ribs and my fingers and stuff like that. And I am using glazes that have a lot of movement and microcrystals
How much weight does your thesis carry on your whole ceramic and art experience and classes?
It’s a part of graduation. Basically everybody passes, it’s very, very rare for someone to fail and not be able to graduate because of comps but it’s something that we are expected to spend a lot of time on. So I have been spending 20-25 hours a week in the studio along with taking two other classes. The general expectation is that you are spending a lot of time experimenting and things like that, but I have to pass to graduate.
How much of your schooling is academic versus studio time?
When taking a studio class there is more active time in the studio than studying biology because the biology classes I’m taking, a lot of them have the occasional homework assignment. It has been more exams and studying for those which I am not doing the best with lately. It is nice to have a balance where I can have homework in different areas and totally different ways of thinking.
Tell me one thing that one of your professors has said to you that has just never left your heart.
Well, last year in the spring I was freaking out to my advisor about graduation and not knowing what to do and everything, Do I go to grad school or do something else. I don’t know what’s happening. And he was very reassuring. I take every class he offers here and he is my academic advisor and he is really involved in my academic life and he made it very clear that whatever I decide to do, if I want to apply to grad school 5 years after I graduate I can send him an email and he will still help me apply to grad school. He was presently helping someone apply to grad school who graduated 7 years ago and he said, I would do the same for you don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay. And I felt much better.
What has experience Covid been like for you during college?
I think I have had a different experience than a lot of college students because I do go to a really small school and it’s a private school so there is a little more funding to go around. So our spring term of March 2020 was fully online and everyone was at home. So that was just terrible to have an online ceramics class. My teacher did the best she could and it was the best it could have been but an online ceramics class is just not real. So that was not fun. So three quarters of the students went back last year with not outbreaks at all. They tested everybody once a week or once every other week and all staff and things like that. Masks were required everywhere, I think that is standard to keep people safe. It was most difficult socially more than anything else. Especially in the winter when we couldn’t hang out outside, it was too cold.
What is your favorite piece to make?
Probably handless mugs right now or bowls. I’m over the handles right now. (laughter) It takes me longer to make and attach and clean up a handle than it does to throw and trim a piece because I get so nit picky with attaching them. Throwing is always my favorite part. So making bowls and cups and things like that.
Book
Crystalline Glazes by Fara Shimbo
Contact
Instagram: @octopusceramics