Harvard dedicates new ceramics studio in Allston

(Rose Lincoln / Harvard Staff Photographer)

The following is a report originally published by Harvard University's official newspaper the Harvard Gazette, a publication of the university's Public Affairs & Communications office.

The Office for the Arts’ 15,010-square-foot ceramics studio was dedicated on Wednesday, with Harvard President Drew Faust addressing a large crowd at the Allston facility.

“This new home for the ceramics program provides cross-University learning and teaching opportunities open to all, including the Allston and Cambridge communities,” Faust told the crowd in the gallery at 224 Western Ave. “It is truly a place of discovery and creativity.”

The space offers classrooms for wheel-thrown, hand-built, and sculptural ceramics, as well as clay and glaze chemistry labs, plaster and mold-making design areas, and a large kiln room with gas reduction, soda, electric, and raku- and saggar-firing options.

“This is an extraordinary time for Harvard arts under the leadership of President Faust,” said Office for the Arts Director Jack Megan when the studio first opened its doors last fall. “This new, state-of-the-art studio is a signifier of her commitment and the University’s commitment to fostering arts practice. The Office for the Arts’ ceramics program has long been a creative intersection for Harvard students, faculty, administrators, and the community from across Greater Boston. This studio will enhance that connectedness and enrich the lives of artists and scholars for many years to come.”

The facility, designed by Cambridge-based Galante Architecture Studio, boasts a public gallery fronting the street. Click here to view a photo slideshow of the studio.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.