The New Buffalo High School Pottery Club had its first kick-off workshop after school this week on Thursday, January 6th, 2022. As the snow started to pick up outside, a group of high school students eagerly took to the pottery wheels honing in on the fundamentals of throwing clay. Pottery Club was established to give students the opportunity to learn ceramics and create personal projects that they otherwise wouldn't be able to do during the school day if they did not have an art class in their schedule.
There were returning art students who joined the club with previous experience from throwing pottery in my classes last year and several newbies who were approaching the wheel for the very first time. After my pottery demonstration on how to center a ball of clay and pull a cylinder on the wheel, the students paired up with first-time potters starting on the wheels and the experienced potters coaching them.
This was a great way to get the club going with leaders stepping up to help so that I could work one-on-one with an individual while the other newbies also had a peer who could guide them through the process. Everyone had eyes on each other and the studio environment was bursting with excitement. Two club members who work on the high school Yearbook staff also circulated the room taking pictures of the group.
When someone went through their ball of clay or created a pot, we rotated potters at the wheels so that everyone had a chance to throw before the workshop ended. After throwing pottery, students had the opportunity to experiment with handbuilding at the tables.
The first night of Pottery Club was a hit and a couple students were already coordinating times with me when they could come back to trim the pots they had made before the next workshop. I look forward to seeing these potters progress throughout the year as they become more comfortable with centering on the pottery wheel and developing their potential as young artists.
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