Contrasting light blue with orange, abstract ceramic hexagons hang from cables outside the Ahmanson building at Woodbury. These creations are inspired by Professor Joshua Stein’s ideas that he brought to his Digital Ceramics class. Besides teaching, Joshua Stein is the founder of Radical Craft and the co-director of the Data Clay Network. Radical Craft is a Los Angeles-based studio which is focused on an experimental design saturated in history, archaeology and craft. The Data Clay Network is a forum for the exploration of digital techniques applied to ceramic. Joshua Stein has received many grants, awards, and fellowships, including multiple grants from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the AIA Upjohn research award, and the 2010-11 Rome Prize Fellowship in Architecture. Architecture students of Woodbury have a great opportunity to learn from Stein and his explorations in ceramics. 

​What does your job consist of?
My time is divided between teaching at Woodbury where I mostly teach classes that deal with clay or earthen materials. This might be at the scale of the module or building component like we deal with in the Digital Ceramics class or at the scale of landscape which would be what we explore in the Degree Project class. The other aspect of my life is Radical Craft where I deal with similar research topics as well as commissioned work, public art projects, installations, and proposals for large-scale regional projects. 

What is your recent project?
The most recent project I’m working on right now is a public art project for Buffalo, New York. They recently built a new bridge in town that connects the main art museum with the main history museum. So, I was commissioned to build six sculptures, three on each side of the bridge. Right now, I am in the mock-up phase. I have seen a portion constructed at full-scale and the final piece should be installed in October.

​​What does community mean for you?
That seems radically different from the earlier two questions. I would say community is having a group of people that you can stop by see without making an appointment, especially if you have a problem that you need to discuss. Or also, maybe somebody that you can get to babysit your cat. 

Ceramic Installation at the Woodbury University

Venice Beach

What are your favorite places you like to go and spend time in LA and where do you find community?  
I really like going to the beach. It’s not quite the same as community, but one of the things I really love about Los Angeles is that it has people from all over the world and they are all on display at the beach. There are other places in the city with amazing culture but it tends to feel more like an enclave. At the beach, I feel like it’s a place where everyone comes together. I like going there and it’s kind of about community even if I’m not necessarily talking or interacting directly with people there.
​
In terms of community, that would be more about true interaction, there are bunch of tours that you can go on (like the LA River or other out of the way parts of town). I think that when you do those types of tours that are sponsored by City of LA that are not private, then you end up meeting bunch of interesting people and get a chance to talk to them. It’s kind of like going to the beach where there is whole bunch of people that come from different backgrounds but they are all invested in the city together, so it is something I really value. It’s different from simply hanging out with friends.

What are your favorite tours you like to take through LA?
There's a series of tours that go on regularly throughout the year sponsored by the LA Department of Cultural Affairs and there are some that are offered through Metro Arts, the public transportation system. There is also de LaB (Design East of La Brea) that offers tours meant to be more focused for architects and designers. In enjoy the first two because they are sponsored by governmental agencies and are open to everyone.  
​
​
www.radical-craft.com
​www.data-clay.org

---

Prev

Next