Kiln it overseas

It is argued by some that success is dictated not by what you know, but rather who you know. In any case, ceramics alumnus Lukas Easton has both bases covered.

While taking a beginning handbuilding class in his last semester at UAA, Easton met fellow ceramics student Ade Waworuntu, whom he credits for helping him power through his early morning classes after working through the night. That spring, Waworuntu - who owns Jenggala Keramik, a ceramic production company in Bali, Indonesia - expressed interest in Easton's carving style and invited him to design a new line of dinnerware for the company.

After post-baccalaureate studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology in late 2017, Easton was able to move overseas to live and work in Bali for three months. Easton's collaboration with Jenggala resulted in a 13-piece dinnerware set featuring a motif of the Frangipani, a popular flower used extensively throughout Indonesia.

While tackling an international-scale project can be intimidating, the fact that Easton has always considered the global impact of ceramics helped ease the transition. Even as an undergrad at UAA, Easton channeled the use of ceramics as an ancient storytelling device. His thesis project, "Visceral Visions," for which he received an undergraduate research grant, featured a series of large vessels with carvings addressing issues regarding politics, climate disruption and violence.

"It was the beginning of a very turbulent time in our country, so I was trying to wrap my head around what was going on," says Easton. "I was also seeing this aversion people were having with uncomfortable feelings. So what my thesis was about was how all emotions have equal value and have something to teach us. My intent was to draw people in with a sense of awe from these large vessels that were presumed to be beautiful from a historical context, and confront them with imagery related to what's going on in the world around us."

Easton notes that while the field of ceramics is no longer bound by technical limitations, the historically necessitated community approach to the art form is not only still alive and well, but one of the reasons he loves it.

"I'm still blown away that there was so much support," says Easton. "I think maybe because ceramics is based around a kiln, which historically there might be only one kiln in town and so it became a very community-based event, it sort of creates this really tight and supportive culture. Everyone is rooting for everyone else. You're your own entity, but it's like a big team sport."

Team ceramics is a community Easton has been a part of for quite some time. Originally from Maine, his family moved to Homer in 2008 during his junior year of high school. 

"Turns out that what seemed like a random town in Alaska had a stellar ceramics program, so that was my introduction to the pottery world," says Easton. "Ceramics became a place I could accomplish something tangible and gave me a great medium to process existence and communicate my ideas to the world, which is great when you're a teenager."

Back overseas, Easton's Jenggala dinnerware line hit the Indonesian and Japanese market in June 2019. With any luck, his work may be poised to reach even further after recently being featured at a hotel conference in Dubai.

While Easton's line is continuing its world tour, Easton himself has since returned stateside, first to accept an adjunct teaching position back at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and then to pursue graduate studies at Alfred University in New York.

"I've visited quite a few schools now and UAA has an absolute stellar ceramics program," says Easton. "I never would be where I am, doing what I'm doing, without that rock solid foundation. The entire time I was there, from the time I walked in the door to the time I left, I was held to an unwaveringly high standard that's unmatched."

Written by Matt Jardin, UAA Office of University Advancement