Cary Esser Named Senior Professor, Transitioning from Ceramics Chair
11.14.2024
Esser - a beloved figure at KCAI - has led the department since the school hired her about 28 years ago.
The change also means that Professor Paul Donnelly will step into the position of the Kathleen Collins Endowed Chair of Ceramics. Donnelly has previously served as chair when Esser was on sabbatical.
Cary Esser recently commented on her process as a ceramic artist - "I have to give myself over. I work in a way that allows me control, up to a certain point. Then, many of the results are unexpected. I pour a piece, glaze it, place it in the kiln and fire it, and it’s transformed along the way. The result of that transformation...well, even the water that comes out of the tap can have different effects on ceramic materials, depending on the time of the year.”
While talking about control, change, and transformation in her studio practice, Esser saw parallels to her decision to step down from being the Kathleen Collins Endowed Chair of Ceramics. She’s been in the department’s position of leadership since she was hired at KCAI a little more than 28 years ago.
Now, with the search underway for a new president at the Kansas City Art Institute, she says it’s the right time to make this transition. The change sees ceramics professor Paul Donnelly stepping into the role of chair. Donnelly has previously served as chair when Esser was on sabbatical. “I made the decision in April and let the students know in the summer. I’m feeling good.” Esser noted that Donnelly is well prepared and will have a strong support staff including associate professor Casey Whittier and studio technician Tom Binger.
Esser isn't departing KCAI ceramics. In fact, she recently received the title of Senior Professor - a moniker reserved for longtime faculty members who've proven deep commitments to the school and their disciplines. Her plan is to continue teaching classes at the art institute - the school she graduated from.
"My first year at KCAI (1974-75) was the first for Milton [Katz] too. I was a student and he was a professor. Milton’s retiring this year. I remember sitting in his memorable class just smoking away. You could do that back then," Esser laughs. In those days she never dreamed she’d come back one day to guide the ceramics department.
Cary Esser Faculty Photo (1996)
Esser says she was fortunate to begin her teaching career at KCAI in 1996 with professors Victor Babu and George Timock. She embraced their commitment to teaching a deep and broad knowledge of material and technical skill. They believed in helping students find their individualized path in the field, with the strong ability to manifest their ideas effectively through a rigorous understanding of the craft.
Esser has remained committed to these traditions of the curriculum. Over the decades, working in concert with ceramics faculty, Esser evolved a curriculum embracing expanded emphasis on conceptual development, professional practice skills, and, with the advent of new technologies, digital practices in ceramics. She has supported colleagues Donnelly and Whittier in their advocacies for the KCAI minors in entrepreneurship and social practice. The ceramics curriculum now offers elective courses in these areas, which draw students from across campus.
A project Esser initiated and developed over time is the Elsewhere investigation. Seniors are asked to contextualize a piece of their thesis work in relation to a locale outside of the ceramics building, with the intent of enriching the perception of the work. The idea is to find an environment that will strengthen the meanings and the manners in which a work may be experienced. This introduces new territories for artwork beyond the studio and gallery, expanding students’ notions of what ceramics can be and where their work can live—introducing new directions, meanings, and audiences. It is often a challenging project and Esser has relished working with students as they brainstorm their ideas and discover new parameters for their practice.
“Each semester begins with a pristine studio space, like the proverbial blank page."
“Each semester begins with a pristine studio space, like the proverbial blank page,” says Esser. As students start to work, the Stern Building becomes more and more active, with materials, tools, and a myriad of student works-in-progress that change day to day. Then, an exciting culmination, and for her a favorite part of the semester, is the end of semester show. The studio transforms almost overnight, from a work space to a professional gallery, the result of hard work and cooperation between students and faculty. The exhibitions open on Friday nights at 5pm, and every time there are folks from KCAI and the community waiting in line to enter and see what has happened over the last 4 months. Students learn about presenting and pricing their works, and have the chance to interact with the public in an educational and meaningful way. It’s exhilarating to see completed works displayed and proud students speaking with visitors to the show.
As chair, Esser has overseen more than 50 end-of-semester exhibitions on campus. When the 2016 NCECA conference was held in Kansas City, Esser saw the chance to revisit and share many student works from past years with the more than 6,000 members of the international ceramics community in town for the event. The Belger Arts Center presented “Every Semester,” an exhibition featuring dozens of artworks borrowed from local collectors who had acquired the works from decades of end-of-semester shows. Esser visited the homes of many local collectors of student and professional artists, who generously lent treasured student works. “Many of the pieces I recognized, knew when they were made and by which student. I could even recall their studio spaces. But other pieces were complete surprises.”
Whether making art or teaching, Esser describes similar patterns: long-term planning with an openness to spontaneity, skills and strengths pulled from her when the moment requires it, and - when a challenge comes to life - that's what she's most drawn to work on.
“I think I'm patient. But some students might disagree with that," Esser says with a smile. "But I believe in perseverance. And I believe rewards are reaped from that."