It was in many ways a bold and radical move, in that ceramics were not yet recognized as a medium appropriate for fine art at that time. Since its founding, the UC Davis campus ceramics studio has been housed in a corrugated metal building known as TB-9, and it was here that Arneson held court for nearly three decades until his retirement in the summer of 1991.
The founding of the ceramics program was a bold and forward-thinking step, as it challenged the prevailing view that ceramics were not suitable for fine art. The UC Davis campus ceramics studio has been housed in a metal building known as TB-9 since its inception, where Arneson established himself as a dominant figure until his retirement in 1991.