Beyond the stress ball

    Ceramics, one of the many art classes available at AHS, is relatively unknown to most students.

    “I’ve talked to a lot of kids and they had no idea we even have a pottery class, I was a little shocked,” said senior Brittney Fettenberger.

    The class, taught by Ann Harper, focuses on helping students develop the technical skills of ceramics.

    “Once you get the technical skills nailed then you’re good to go,” said Harper. After the students have learned the technical skills “then the creativity starts.”

    The class is beneficial for those who are “not good in two-dimensional work,” who “can use ceramics as an outlet for their creativity,” said Harper. “Clay is an easily malleable medium to build things with. It can be organic, it can be geometric, it can be used for architectural forms, and for some people utilitarian things. It’s like any other art form: you have to have a personal vision.”

    “It’s not like Computer Graphics, where everyone wants to join,” said sophomore Thao Nguyen.

    This may be due to the fact that the ceramics students, unlike other art students do not have their work displayed around the school. There is no space to display the 3D objects.

    The room that is currently the downstairs copy-room was originally an art room, which would have been an ideal place to display 3D work. However, since the copy machines occupy the room the ceramics class no longer has “that opportunity anymore,” said art teacher Catherine Stark.

    Harper hopes to be able to create some type of display for the ceramic class’s work in the future.   

    “I think that if other students were able to see the work of the ceramics students, they would be more aware that it is a class,” said Stark. She also thinks that if the work of the class was displayed, it would “pique their interest” in taking the class.

    Another idea that the art department could not progress with due to regulations was pit firing. The location that the arts teachers were considering was the area around the back exit from the art room.

    The purpose of pit firing is to produce a different outcome with the ceramic work. However, due to security and safety reasons the art department was unable to make the pit-firing ambition a reality.

    In previous years the class has conducted an end of the year art auction. At this event the students’ leftover work is auctioned off and the students keep the money from their sales. The auction is “well attended,” and “a very nice event,” said Harper.  

    Many find making ceramics a therapeutic endeavor.

    “Some people take yoga, but in this case you just take your anger out on the clay,” said sophomore Emily Huamani Jimenez.

    Others in the class agree, “It relieves stress and really gets your mind off everything that’s going on,” said Fettenberger.

    The stress relief and the qualities one acquires from creating ceramics are, “almost like meditation,” said Harper. “A lot of the kids enjoy it for that reason.”

    In Ceramics, students use hand-building or a pottery wheel to make works. Fewer students use the pottery wheel, as it is more difficult. “In order for a person to be good at throwing a pot on a pottery wheel, you need to stay incredibly focused,” said Harper. When using the pottery wheel it is necessary beforehand to “set up everything and prepare more,” said Fettenberger.

    The process the students follow to make ceramics begins with the planning of the ceramic works, with both the concept and thumbnail sketches of the work. After this, the production occurs, taking anywhere from one hour to two weeks depending on the intricacy of the work.

    The work is then air dried for about three days before going through its first kiln firing, also called a bisque firing, which takes place for 48 hours. Finally the work is glazed and goes through a second kiln firing, called a glaze firing, and becomes glazeware.
 
    Those who take the class find it very enjoyable, “It’s not boring, it’s fun work,” said Jimenez. This may be due to the teaching style of Ann Harper, “She is really good at individualized teaching and she tends to help each of her students focus on what is best for them,” said Stark. As for grading, it is affected by “how much effort you put into it,” said student Emily Jimenez, who “would really recommend taking it [the class].”