Introduction

Music and its role in culture have existed since the earliest civilizations. Unlike the modern popular culture use of instruments to make music for the masses, Mesoamerican civilizations used tools to create instruments that represented cultural symbolism and human expression. Some flutes were used during ceremonies to indicate the cries of birds, while drums were used to indicate the rumbling nature of animals moving in sync all around us. The artist showcases these deeper cultural connections and the artistic expression championed in Mesoamerica by creating his own version of ceramic instruments, consisting of an ocarina, a gourd horn, and a flute (Hepp).

Literature Review

Ceramic instruments have been documented and discovered through archaeological surveys of ancient civilizations. In one expedition to coastal Oaxaca, numerous flutes and other wind instruments were discovered with depictions of both humanoid and animal features, with some even blending the two to create hybrid transformations (Hepp). These depictions are thought to represent the scenario in which the instrument would be used, while some are also thought to have been inspired by a purely interpretive view of nature (Hepp). This shows that Mesoamerican people had strong connections with their instruments that went far deeper than just the creation of well-resonating music. In terms of recreations of ceramic instruments in the modern era, Berry Hall is an artist who has dedicated himself to creating ceramic instruments that both tie culturally to what the Mesoamericans created while being usable in modern musical performances such as orchestras or bands (Hall). The creation of ceramic instruments in the modern era highlights the cultural connection and influence that Mesoamerican people have had on the music that is created and performed today. Additionally, Anderson Turner created numerous books illustrating the various building and glazing techniques used in modern ceramics, which the artist used along with Barry Hall’s exquisite examples to create his own rendition of modern ceramic instruments.

Methods

The main research methods the artist used in his project were archival research and mass prototyping. To facilitate a strong grasp on the cultural designs and inspirations of his project, he extensively researched books offered by the UMD library to approach the project with all the necessary information. He found various books on ceramic techniques that were crucial in aiding his creation phase of the project. During the actual creation of the instruments, he prototyped everything numerous times to ensure the final product had every intricate detail as intended. He prototyped the instruments in general with a smaller scale and tested sgraffito designs on these instruments. 

Audience & Impact

The artist expects his exhibition to attract people mainly with a general interest in music/sound and an interest in the works of ancient civilizations, and lovers of plastic arts. These people will pick up on the techniques used to create the works and the way the designs fit into the overall message. The artist’s audience should consist of people of all ages and genders, with a slight emphasis on people with Mesoamerican cultural roots, who may be able to appreciate and resonate strongly with the artist’s pieces due to their depiction of the culture. For the artist’s audience, he wants to bring awareness to and inspire people to appreciate the ceramic masterpieces of the past, and to reinvigorate people to start incorporating personal art design into their own musical instruments. Personally, the artist wants to expand his own appreciation of cultural music and continue creating pieces far past this project.

References

Hall, Barry. Burnt Earth Ceramic Musical Instruments - Home, www.ninestones.com/burntearth.shtml. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025. 

Hepp, Guy David, et al. “Communing with Nature, the Ancestors and the Neighbors: Ancient Ceramic Musical Instruments from Coastal Oaxaca, Mexico.” World Archaeology, vol. 46, no. 3, 2014, pp. 380–99, https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2014.909100.

Turner, Anderson. Ceramic Projects : Forming Techniques. American Ceramic Society, 2010.

Turner, Anderson. Ceramic Sculpture : Inspiring Techniques. American Ceramic Society, 2009.

Acknowledgements

Julie Kim: Aided with the peer review of my project

Studio A Staff: Provided a room and glaze supplies

CPSA Staff: Assisted and guided the creation of my capstone