The Baker University Holt-Russell Gallery made its semester debut opening Tuesday in Parmenter Hall featuring ceramics and tapestries from Red Star Studios Ceramic Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Program Director for Art Inge Balch said featuring work from students and professionals at Red Star Studios was a good way for Baker students, especially those in art classes, to start off the semester.

“We try to have shows here that can complement what we’re teaching,” she said. “The students can get a lot of good ideas and use them in the visual language class -texture, color – a great teaching tool.”

Red Star Studios Manager Tara Dawley said most of the artwork brought to Baker and featured in the gallery was work by current and past artists in residence and more advanced members of the studio.

“It kind of ranges from serious students of ceramics – professionals, not so much your average student,” she said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for Red Star, a beautiful space and hopefully an inspiration for students.”

Junior Kortney Voss is an art history major and said she really enjoys seeing the creations of others.

“I really like the tapestries and the nesting bowls,” she said. “I just like the look of nesting bowls, and I really appreciate tapestries because I know how hard they are to make.”

Sophomore Beth Crandall said she’s in one of Balch’s ceramics classes and likes seeing the possibility of what could be created with time and patience.

“Some of the stuff here looks like the things we’ve been told we’re going to make or some things we’ve been working on,” she said. “I think it’s cool whenever we can come and kind of relate to the things that are here.”

Senior Diane Holden said she appreciates the work and effort behind making any piece of art, but she prefers pieces that serve more of a purpose than just sitting on a shelf.

“I love the bowls and the platters,” she said. “They’re functional.”

Artist Cindy Lamboley explained the reasoning behind blue and brown glazes on her teapot and cup and saucer set.

“We grew up having tea parties with our grandmothers and mothers,” she said. “So I love the tea party idea, but I also love the West. So I chose glazes that made me feel like I was in Colorado.”

Artist Carolyn Summers said her lotus plate pieces were made for a class in conjunction with a chef working with the studio to put together a dinner.

“Every single dish had its purpose and its shape and its style,” she said. “For instance, the lotus plates had soft shell crab tempura on them placed higher, as if the soft shell crab was walking across the lotus plate.”

Studio member Kelli Damron recently went from working as a ceramic artist part time to full time and displayed three of her pieces of porcelain ceramic sculptures with protruding colorful ceramic flowers.

“I think once I touched clay I fell in love with it,” she said.