The Department of Art and Design has a new face in the ceramics studio, and he’s already making waves with his thoughtful teaching and grounded artistic practice.

Originally from Charleston, West Virginia, Chris Rodgers comes to Missouri State University with a passion for clay, community and creative risk-taking.

Rodgers’ work spans clay, steel and cast concrete, often shaped by self-imposed project parameters. “The problem-solving of working with ceramics is a huge part of what continues to draw me to this material,” he said.

Roundabout path leads to passion for ceramics

Rodgers didn’t always know he’d end up working with ceramics. Like many students, he shifted majors a few times during college before discovering a spark in an unexpected place — a hand-building class.

“I was completely fascinated by the material possibilities and uncertainties of working with glaze,” he said. That curiosity stuck. Since then, ceramics has become both his medium and his way of thinking. A turning point for him came during graduate school with a series of six sculptures titled “Leaning from the Steep Slope.”

“That was also the first time I made something and thought, ‘I’d be excited to see this if it wasn’t mine,’” he recalled.

Teaching focuses on student accomplishments

Rodgers brings that same mindset into the classroom. He wants students to walk away with not just technical skills but also a feeling of accomplishment.

“Whether it’s pottery or sculpture, I want them to feel like what they’re making matters and reflects something of themselves,” he said.

That’s part of why he introduces foundational techniques — like wheel throwing and sculpture — and then encourages students to experiment beyond the rules. With a Ceramics I assignment, for example, he asked students to recreate their own shoe in clay. “A shoe holds so much personal information,” he said. “It’s a very complex form.”

Building community through art

Rodgers emphasizes the importance of connection in his teaching, noting that “Ceramics has a long history of community.” In one recent ceramics course, he supervised a student-run marathon wood kiln firing that lasted 48 hours. The students took shifts to ensure the fire was well-stoked and maintained a correct temperature. The experience helped students learn the importance of building community.

Beyond teaching, Rodgers reiterates the theme of connection in his professional work through residencies and international exhibitions. In Mexico City, he created an installation that referenced neighborhood homes and Aztecan artwork. He built wooden forms in a lush garden, then gave those pieces away to people in the community

“I gave the sculptures to people in the community I had grown close to,” he recalled. It’s this kind of full-circle practice — art, education and exchange — that defines his approach.

Above all, he believes working with ceramics teaches patience.

“Clay teaches you that things take time. If students can develop resilience, curiosity and care in their making, those lessons will follow them wherever they go.”

Explore Ceramics @ MSU

Photos provided by the art and design department.

News edited by the Reynolds College Communications Team.

Sam Barnette is a writer for the Department of Art and Design. She holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Missouri State’s Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film. She is working toward an MS in Data Science and Analytic Storytelling at Truman State University.