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Teaching

Tom Lauerman has taught at a number of art schools including The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, SMU Meadows School of the Arts, Ox-Bow School of Art, and Columbia College of Chicago.

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Tom is presently serving an Associate Professor of Studio Art and MFA Graduate Coordinator at Penn State University. His teaching portfolio is multidisciplinary, including recent courses in the areas of Digital Art, Ceramics, Sculpture, and Foundations. In addition to teaching established curriculum, Tom has initiated several courses in areas that align closely with his research in digital fabrication, ceramic 3D printing, and ceramic glaze chemistry.

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Tom's career as an educator has included significant experience in many diverse educational settings. These include teaching 2nd and 4th grade art in an elementary school, courses taught at numerous art centers, after school programs, and in under-served communities. Later he taught in the context of a community college, various stand-alone art schools, a selective and small private university, and finally an “R1” Research University.

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At Penn State, Tom has taught more than 15 different courses across various disciplines, often focusing on technical subjects like digital fabrication or the chemistry of ceramic glazes. These courses align with his research, allowing an opportunity to share expertise and enthusiasm for a particular research domain. Working with students from various disciplines has led to unexpected research collaborations. 

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“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many different types of learners in so many different contexts. This has illustrated to me that there are an almost infinite number of reasons an individual may want to experience art making, and that those individual’s experiences are often quite different from my own. Throughout, I have consistently sought to create engaging and accessible learning experiences for all students.”

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Selected Courses Taught:

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  • 2D Foundations

  • 3D Foundations

  • New Media Foundations (co-taught)

  • Beginning Ceramics

  • Beginning Sculpture

  • Digital Fabrication for Artists & Designers

  • 3D Printing for Artists & Designers

  • Intermediate Ceramics

  • Multiples (mold making & casting for Artists & Designers)

  • Kilns: Design, Construction, & Operation

  • Making for the Masses (experimental “Interdomain” course)

  • Advanced Sculpture

  • Advanced Ceramics

  • Graduate Seminar in Art

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