To enter PV’s ceramics studio is to enter a world of wonders: projects of dazzling color and form line every available shelf, some darkly iridescent, some elegant in their simplicity; fantastical creatures and containers lie unfinished, waiting to be brought to life; and on each work surface the slip-stained tools of the trade – carving tools, pottery wheels, a cooling kiln – hold the promise of new art. Although the ceramics studio is open to everybody, only students and art teachers have frequented it – until now.
As part of an effort to make ceramics more accessible to everybody, new art instructor and Ceramics Club head Alexandria Medenciy is hosting the Teacher’s Clay Workshop. Students in Ceramics Club will help high school teachers create their own unique projects using slab, coil, wheel and pinch-pot methods, giving both groups a chance to experience learning from each other’s perspectives. The event will be held in room 285 on Wednesdays April 11 and 18 from 3:30 to 5 o’clock p.m.
Medenciy certainly knows her clay: as an experienced art teacher and professional potter at Gemini Pottery, she is intimately familiar with the benefits of ceramics as a creative process. She believes that these benefits can extend to many areas of life and are equally essential for student and teacher alike. “The arts, and more specifically, ceramics, allows the individual to create, build, and play in mud,” Medenciy says. “Not only is the experience satisfying, but also teaches valuable and authentic experiences. These experiences can range from critical thinking, creative problem solving, expression and catharsis.”
Ceramics Club member Jessica Brown agrees. “I’m looking forward to being able to teach teachers because it’s not something students get to do often,” Brown says. “This is also a great way for the teachers to get to know more about the students and express themselves.”
Not only is the event an opportunity for students and teachers to get to know each other better – it also allows teachers to hone their creative skills and perhaps renew their sense of curiosity in the sculptural arts. “Everyone is creative and everyone is an artist—it’s a ‘muscle’ we are all gifted,” explains Medenciy. “If you don’t exercise this, you will eventually lose its strength.”
The Teacher’s Clay Workshop will allow both students and teachers to experience the playful experimentation and dynamic atmosphere of ceramics – and maybe learn a few things about each other along the way. Ceramics Club meets every Thursday from 3:30 to 5 o’clock p.m. in room 285 and is open to all students.
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