John Oles, Assistant Professor who teaches ceramics in the Department of Art and Design at JSU, was instrumental in bringing the Alabama Clay Conference to our campus later this month.

Born and raised in southeastern Massachusetts, Oles thinks of New Orleans as home. In June 2018, he held a solo exhibition at a gallery in New Orleans. His work in the New Orleans exhibition was based on research he completed the previous summer during an artist residency in Iceland. He remarks, “the past 25 years have, in one way or another, been centered around living a creative life, and that leads you to some amazing places and situations around the world that you might never have been exposed to without a certain sense of adventure.”

Next summer, for example, his work will take him to participate in a residency at the Hambridge Center in Georgia, which pairs potters with celebrity chefs for two weeks of creative collaboration. He is quite excited about the opportunity.

Oles’ hobbies include cooking, running, and, of course, creating pottery. He also enjoys playing guitar and banjo; consequently, he collects old instruments and amplifiers. Being an adventuring artist and a professor has always been a dream of Oles.

He studied Ceramics as a BFA undergrad with the intention of going to graduate school and becoming a ceramics professor. “I had a couple of very influential teachers and mentors,” Oles remembers. “I never really thought too seriously about doing anything else. For me, it’s still the best job in the world.”

Oles says that he specifically loves teaching at JSU because of the people he
has the pleasure of working with on a daily basis. To him, it is not insignificant that all of his colleagues can be considered friends.
Working with students is another factor that Oles appreciates about his job.

He admires the bravery that accompanies proactive education. “When anyone comes into the studio with a desire to learn how to do something that they didn’t know before, that takes a certain amount of courage.”
He explains that many students in an artistic environment start the semester with excuses as to why their art won’t be good enough. However, as they learn and practice and develop their skills, these same students grow confident in what they can do.

“When a student with no prior experience in clay can look back and see the
progress in their body of work over such a short period of time, that’s really something special,” Oles shares. “And, it’s entirely the result of hard work and earnest inquiry on the part of that student. I don’t do anything special; I’m just here to coach you and be your biggest fan.”

While Oles diligently helps his students through his own words and actions, he believes that art itself helps them on a different level. Working in ceramics challenges and trains his students’ minds to think critically and creatively—not just about their art, but in any area of their lives.

Additionally, because ceramics is a physically demanding art, it builds manual dexterity in students. Understanding the visual details that are
essential to ceramics even shapes students’ eyes to be more discerning. Oles explains how his mind has been open to so many different skills and ideas through ceramics; he has learned more about life than he ever expected to.

“And, sometimes,” he continues, “you learn how to make a good pot.”
This February, Oles will be hosting the 34th Annual Alabama clay Conference at JSU. There are about 300 people from all over the Southeast expected to attend the event, which will last for four days. “It’s been a pretty consuming endeavor, but I think it’s coming together quite well,” says Oles.
The event will feature work for sale by ceramic artists from all over the state through the Alabama Clay Market. Oles, along with JSU, looks forward to this opportunity.

Besides the importance of showing up on time, the most crucial advice that Oles can offer his students is to take advantage of the resources they have while they are in college. “You don’t know it now, but you’ve got incredible access to facilities, materials, and informed critique of your work that you likely will not have again after you graduate.”
These resources include, of course, his ever-available encouragement.