As far as art goes, ceramics are exceptionally bulky. Ceramics classes need space for clay, drying shelves, kilns and a variety of glazes. For university art programs, the equipment-heavy ceramics can often fall by the wayside, even if interest is high.

Due to a donation from Sam and Sarah Goos of Alton, New Hampshire, whose daughter Ariel studied studio art at UMaine and graduated in 2019, UMaine was able to open the Goos Family Studio. The new studio is allowing the ceramics program at UMaine to grow and giving plenty of space for students to be creative.

Now that the program’s new class, Ceramics II, is wrapping up its first semester in the studio, students in the Department of Art and beyond are already seeing the impact of the gift and what it was able to achieve, according to a news release from Samantha Schipani, Division of Marketing and Communications, UMaine.

Sam Goos hails from the Augusta area, and his parents, Julius and Charlotte, attended UMaine. Ariel Goos followed in her grandparents’ footsteps, graduating in 2019 with a degree in studio art. As Ariel was preparing for the end of her UMaine college career, Sam and Sarah Goos decided that they wanted to honor their daughter’s graduation — and their family’s multi-generational connection to UMaine — through a gift to the department that made Ariel’s time at UMaine special.

“We’re delighted to be able to support the Art Department at UMaine with this gift. The Goos Family Studio will serve as a lasting reminder of the opportunities it provided for our family and for future art students for years to come,” Sam and Sarah Goos wrote in a statement.

The gift also includes an endowment that will continue to financially support the maintenance and upkeep of the studio. Some of the funds were provided by Julius Goos’ estate when he passed away in 2020 — and recently from Ariel Goos as she started her life after UMaine.

Check out other upcoming area events!