Sandrine Zawacki – Ceramists: artists or artisans? The role of universities in positioning creators in the United States

This thesis questions the role of US universities in the division between fine art and folk art, and more specifically in the qualification and professionalization of artists. This analysis is based on the example of ceramists in the state of Georgia (in the southeastern United States), and my research is primarily based on semi-structured interviews with potters and sculptors, as well as observations of their workplaces. My research suggests a comparative dimension, highlighting the specificities of the cultural field in the United States, at the heart of which are universities.
My thesis takes a socio-historical approach, analyzing the evolution of ceramics in the context of the development of higher education in the 20th century, with the emergence of university folklore studies and art departments. It is organized into three main parts.
The first part is devoted to folk pottery, or artisanal pottery. It traces the settlement of potters in the 18th and 19th centuries in the Georgian countryside, their prosperity within this rural economy, and then their near disappearance in the 20th century. It shows how American universities helped elevate this type of pottery to the status of cultural heritage, while excluding potters who did not meet the criteria for traditional craftsmanship established by folklore specialists.
The second part focuses on the emergence of ceramic artists and their integration into universities. This development highlights the participation of women in the artification of ceramics, which gained momentum with the Arts and Crafts movement in the late 19th century. The first ceramicists joined art departments at the beginning of the 20th century, but the process of institutionalization intensified between 1945 and 1975. This latter period was marked by exponential growth in universities, largely due to a federal desire to democratize higher education. Like many other creators, ceramists working in faculties had to define their roles, outline their profession, and establish the boundaries that had to be crossed to become part of their group. Their integration into the academic world promoted their identification as artists and the recognition of their creations as works of art.
The third part is devoted to an analysis of the current structure of this professional space: with the decline in university budgets from 1975 onwards, becoming an art professor is an ideal achieved by only a privileged minority. These last two chapters seek to shed light on the diversity of positions that exist in this space, which is characterized by both close proximity between actors and fierce competition. Finally, the thesis concludes by outlining the values shared by ceramists, which originate from their common university education. It also shows how universities attract creators, who remain active thanks to campuses and their cultural institutes, staff, and students.