One artist is rediscovering her passion for an art form she has worked with for 20 years and exhibited new work Friday at the University Museum.

C.J. Niehaus, a graduate student in art from Cincinnati, displayed her thesis project in the museum as part of the Master of Fine Arts thesis series. Niehaus said the project helped her rediscover her roots as a ceramic artist, and her project will be on display until Friday.

Early in Niehaus’ career, she made functional art such as bowls, cups, plates and teapots for a living. However, she said she eventually lost some of her passion for art after years of only making functional artwork that would sell.

“I wasn’t growing anymore,” she said. “I needed to get my passion back.”

Her exhibit, “Re-collection,” focuses on sculptural-based ceramic art, something she said helped her find passion to create art for fun rather than a means to get by.

Niehaus crafted many ceramic pieces and decorated them with an underglaze pencil. The pencil sketches help to convey human memory and how it can sometimes be sketchy, she said. The exhibit’s theme refers to memory and how collections of memories form personal identity, which, Niehaus said, relates to her own artistic journey.

“We are all made from the collections of our memories … To create the work I’m doing now required that I dig in deep to gather up those things that created me,” she said.

Chris Klaus, Springfield Art Association marketing director, said Niehaus’ museum display is marketable because it combines multiple art forms such as pottery and drawing. He said he’s helping Niehaus find venues that are interested in her new work and helping her concentrate her efforts so she can produce her best artwork.

Nate Steinbrink, University Museum exhibit curator, said audiences can have an intimate interaction with Niehaus’ thesis project, which makes it easy to display for an exhibit.

Steinbrink said the Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibits are designed for graduate students to present their work without worrying about making a sale. Having the mindset to create marketable art makes an artist lose his or her own artistic vision, he said.

“If you’re an artist, it’s better if you can put all of your time and energy into making your (art) better (rather) than sending out press releases and calling galleries,” he said.