It always begins the same. A lump of clay, mixed with water. For any ceramic artist, the challenge is to make that clay take form, whether it’s a bowl, vase or, in the case of Josie Hemmer ’25 and her Senior Art Thesis project, stunning pieces of art hanging in Founders Hall.

When it came time last fall for Josie, a Political Science major with a minor in Ceramics, to begin creating her final art project at Guilford, she wanted something unique. “Something that was different, that would challenge me,” she says.

Rather than produce traditional pieces, Josie chose to spotlight the process itself — the raw, physical connection between artist and material. Her four clay slabs on display outside the Bauman West Gallery in Founders pay tribute to onggi foot wedging, a traditional Korean technique used to prepare clay for large earthenware storage jars.

In foot wedging, the potter uses their feet to rhythmically stomp, knead and compress the clay. This motion removes air pockets, improves consistency and enhances the clay’s strength and workability. It’s a labor-intensive method that Josie embraced fully, gathering natural clay from the Guilford woods and her own backyard, then spending hours blending it on campus, barefoot and grounded.

Her finished pieces, fired in the College’s kilns, evoke the surface of the earth — textured, rippling and entirely unique. “When it’s just me and the clay, I really feel like the clay is talking to me,” she says. “I know that sounds crazy, but it’s such a cool and interesting relationship, and I wanted to show that process off.”

Political Science and Ceramics might seem like an unlikely pairing, but Josie — like onggi — is all about blending. Through her work, she hopes to draw attention to climate change not by preaching its dangers, but by inspiring people to reconnect with the outdoors.

“If I get people to go outside, whether they’re working with clay or on a river, then they'll start caring about the environment,” says Josie, who led Guilford’s Outdoors Club all four years. “I love taking people who’ve never gone on a long hike, jumped in a creek or worked with clay. It’s just such a wild experience — I can’t live without it.”

Josie originally came to Guilford for the triathlon team, choosing the College over a larger state university. “I thought a big school meant more opportunities, but I found the opposite,” she says.

“I felt so supported in every way here. If I needed the Counseling Center, they met with me that same week. My art professors — I have all their phone numbers. If I needed to call them in the middle of the night, they were always available. I made the best decision in coming to Guilford.”