Any Person, Any Study – Except Pottery

The Cornell Ceramics Studio, which has been a feature of Willard Straight Hall since 1957, is no more.  The Student Union Board, the group in charge of programming at WSH, has given the studio its two-month notice; this will be their last semester.

However, this decision was made without directly consulting anyone from the ceramics program, according to those involved in the program.  Yesterday, the Review spoke with Ceramics Coordinator Andy Palmer, who has been with the studio since 1998.  He said that the first time that he was informed of the board’s decision was last Monday, when he was told by Dean Kent Hubbell that the decision had already been made. “Usually when a program goes out they’ll ask you about it,” he added.  Hubbell, who was involved in the decision, wrote in a letter that “after a number of discussions during this academic year, the Student Union Board decided that they wished to repurpose the ceramics studio,” saying that the space formerly occupied by the studio will be devoted to “multipurpose programming.”

Hubbell justified the decision by giving the statistic that only fifty students use the studio every semester, and that participation is declining.  However, Palmer’s records show that the studio has had higher number of users this past decade than in any previous decade.  Hubbell also claimed that the shop was a financial burden on the school, saying that last year it was necessary for the school to help balance the shop’s budget.  Palmer said that the shop is financially self-supporting, and this year has a $23,000 surplus, from which he plans to purchase new kilns and maintain a reserve fund.  Palmer contends that “closing for financial reasons – especially since we are non-profit – doesn’t make much sense.  The school has never benefitted from us fiscally.”  Hubbell also believes that the space is sorely needed for other uses. “Long ago, the university outgrew its student union, and there is a profound need for additional program space. Visit the Straight of an evening (sic) and you will see what I mean.”

Palmer said that the powers-that-be have so far been tight-lipped on what the studio rooms will be used for, and have given him no specific ideas for a replacement.  “I don’t know what they’re trying to do with it,” he said, “I still don’t know any good reasoning.”  In the fall, the Sun reported that the studio was a possible location for a new alcohol-serving campus pub, but later reported that the Ivy Room had been chosen instead.

The studio has faced the possibility of closing before – the last time was in the early 2000s.  However, it was instead given a full renovation in 2003.  To Palmer and those involved with the studio, this begs the ultimate question, “What better use is there for a room designed for ceramics then as a ceramics space?  Why throw out 54 years of tradition for change’s sake?”

One final note of irony: Kent Hubbell’s mother has been a potter for over 50 years.