5. F ACE M UGS

6. ­ Pottery is one of the oldest art forms on Earth, but it didn't start out being considered art. For years, p­ottery was created by craftspeople strictly for utilitarian p­urposes with little consideration for how they looked. Earliest pottery found in Japan and is approximately 15,000 years old.

7. ­ These pots were hand-built, fired in bonfires and served the purpose of carrying grains, water and other liquids, as well as storing seeds. Shortly thereafter they began to use pots for cooking.

8. ­The Greeks were credited with making pottery an art form, although at the time, potters were still known as craftsmen. Their pots and vases were utilitarian in nature and were mainly created for drinking and pouring, or storing wine and olive oil. Athens 540 BC

9. These Greek craftsmen decorated their vessels with characters from Greek mythology and were the first to experiment with adding color by combining the clay with other naturally occurring ingredients, such as ochre and potash. 450 BC

10. The next big breakthrough in pottery came about in 600 A.D. during the Han Dynasty in China, when potters began to make porcelain. These delicate and artful pieces are now known as fine china. Chinese porcelain approximately 1300 AD

11. Throughout the centuries, pottery has continued to evolve as both a craft and an art. Jar, New York, 1840 Native American Jar approximately 1800 Pottery 1800

12. Slave Jug, South Carolina, 1862 Slave Jug, South Carolina, late 1860s

13. Meghan and Chad Nelson

14. thebigduluth

16. Artismia Handmade pottery Louisville, Ohio

17. Artismia Handmade pottery Louisville, Ohio

18. Judie Bomberoger Leslie Hagens

19. Student Work