Earthscapes with The Rockwell Museum, part 2

We played with clay for the SSCL First Friday Art Club in May.  If you take a moment to read Part 1 of this Earthscapes project, you will know that this clay portion represents a topographical view of a landscape for which our dream homes will be placed.

Amy's and My Earthscape Sample

Amy Ruza from The Rockwell Museum and I met earlier in the month to make the sample you see above.  There are forests, fresh water, mountains and fields within our landscape. 

The clay is terracotta, which has a beautiful brown hue, lending itself to the Earth-like feel.

Roll out a slab and create dimension

The students were instructed to roll out a 1/4" thick slab of clay cut to the size of a sheet of paper.  Then, they placed the clay slabs over crumpled paper to give the clay dimension.  

It was required that each slab touch the table surface on two sides in order to provide

holes meant for hanging vertically on a wall.  

A river runs through it

Once the slabs were rolled out and placed on cardboard sheets for transport and holes were prodded, students had their own choices to make.  Including a fresh water source was HIGHLY encouraged.  It was fun to watch these lumps of mud transform before our eyes!

Rivers, valleys, caves, and VOLCANOES!

Land features such as rivers, valleys, caves and even VOLCANOES developed over these lands.  These adventurous artists represented their own ideas, but also shared their expertise as other students showed interest in certain elements

Let the Underglaze Begin

After the clay landscape was approved, it was time to add color with underglaze.  Blue represented water and the sample above shows a lovely winding river, accessible throughout the land.  Forests for food and exploration were a popular feature.

Each countdown made them frantic

We only have an hour and a half in First Friday Art Club and every minute is precious.  To keep students aware, I give them incremental countdowns until cleanup.  They are always so shocked and disappointed when I say we only have 20 minutes left.  "TWENTY MINUTES?! How did class fly by so quickly?!"

Countdowns make them Hustle!

As you can see, the before and after show how these kids can hustle to get the job complete.  Green grasses, white capped mountains and streams of blue covered our tables.

Fallen Tree

This student considered having a fallen tree available for fire wood when he moves his house here this summer.  The river will be a helpful form of transportation to get that tree to his home!  I'm impressed by that thought process for such a young student.

Off to the kiln

Now that the Earthscapes have been created, they must get fired in the kiln.  The Rockwell Museum has their own kiln and will provide this service.  The items will take two weeks to dry before being fired.  Many students wanted to take these home next week!  

There was a minor lesson in how ceramics get processed.

The SSC Library will exhibit these Earthscapes in July and August as part of the 

summer reading club theme, "Build a Better World."  

Accessibility to art always helps create a better world!

Thanks for visiting this month and checking on our progress.  I'll be sure to show you the Earthscapes on display, but until then, seek the First Friday Art Club blog in June to see what we make with a little help from the sun with Cyanotypes.

~erica

.

Earthscapes with The Rockwell Museum, part 1

Earthscapes, part 1

The SSC Library partnered with The Rockwell Museum to introduce a 2 part lesson plan called Earthscapes.  Thinking about sustainability, the goal was to create a model home using recycled materials in session one.  Then, in the second session, students will create clay slab landscapes to place the model home in an environment.

Artists get right down to business

After a short Power Point presentation, the artists got right down to business.  We had 5 grocery bags full of various items we salvaged from the trash can.  Scraps from fruit and vegetable packaging, rafts from 3-D printed objects, foam from packing materials, a filter from a furnace, etc. became materials to design a model home.

Cardboard and tape 

Some artists chose to work with cardboard and tape.

3-D Fences

This artist utilized the zig-zag of a 3-D print raft structure to establish a fence for her home.  You never know who you need to keep in and who needs to stay out!

Concentration

I was available to help with any questions, but there was total concentration on the dream home creation.  Glue guns were hot, glue sticks were melting away and foundations set.

Foam Staircase

The use of high density foam represented a staircase for this fortress. 

 A water well was considered, as well as a trap door to keep out trespassers.

Escape Plans are Important

This artist used foam for floating capabilities in case of flooding. 
 Towers allow for secret passage ways.

Organized "mess"

This dream home was meant to look messy. The exterior of this building gives visitors pause to enter, so what intruder would know the gorgeous mansion inside?  Strong imagination proved this fortress is secure and PLUSH inside.  It's certainly a haven in disguise!

Tipi Takes Rank

The only tipi structure came to fruition quickly, but I'm not quite sure what the red and green containers represent.  I teased that it was never ending tomato and avacado buckets to make bottomless bowls of guacamole.

Truffula Trees and a Pergola

When Truffula Trees grace a pergola, you know this dream home is intended for warm climates and safe surroundings.  The artist intends to live near no predatory animals and only see clear blue skies and sunshine 365 days a year.

Clean Lines and Clean Water

The spirit of conservation struck this artist when he used simple, clean lines to create his structure.  Having a dedicated clean water supply was of utmost importance, too.  The netting works as shade, but the open roof allows in plenty of sunlight for indoor gardening.

Feels like "Fallingwater"

As this student created her yoga getaway, I remarked how this dream home resembled "Fallingwater," by Frank Lloyd Wright.  She had never heard of that home, but recalled the ever-important architect's name from a school lesson.

Building with recycled materials and considering how to maintain a sustainable existence for humans on earth was a thought provoking subject for students.  They considered predators, intruders, protection from elements and daily needs like food and water.  Imagination and creativity enabled them to develop wisely designed homes for their clay slab landscapes.

Check back in May to see where these dream homes land.

 You never know what teens will make with piles of trash and lumps of dirt!

 

Clay Coil Creatures Part 2

April 1 saw Part 2 of our Clay Coil Creatures class at the Rockwell Museum.  No foolin' (wink, wink), we made creatures inspired by the collection in the gallery.  Please catch up with Part 1 to follow the progression of this project.

The pieces were bisque fired to remove all moisture and create a stone-like surface.

Bisque Baked Beauties

The time to design the surface of these beauties had arrived.  Education Programs Coordinator, Amy Ruza, led the class on glazing instructions.

She had glazed ceramic samples to show the changes in color from the jar to kiln firing.

Glaze changes drastically in the kiln.

After a short glazing tutorial, students chose their preferred colors and went to work finalizing their masterpieces.  Some had direct inspiration from the gallery.

This artist was inspired by the gallery installation

Some students were inspired by the Native American picture dictionary provided by the museum.

Replicated Native American Eagle

Some students let their heart design for them.

A Spring Bunny

The class went quickly with all of the activity, excitement and creation.

Students hard at work

The glaze dries to a dull finish, but shimmers like glass after the kiln firing.  Here are before and after shots of the projects for your enjoyment:

The Whole Lot

The image above shows the entire class project from cart to kiln.  Now let's look at some pieces a little closer.

A Charming Snake

The snake maker's sister went to the woods for this cutie pie.  Remember to slip and score very well when making clay objects.  If you do not follow this step, items will pop off!  This poor bunny's limbs were lost in the bisque fire.

Limb-less Bunny

This little girl captured my heart.

Sweet Lil' Lady

A few more pieces looked like this:

Elephants, Turtles and Teacups

These lucky participant are now able to pick up their projects and present them to their families.  Like relics from our past, these pieces are part of future archaeology.

I am proud to share this knowledge and collaborate these lessons for my students.  The process of making objects never ceases to amaze me.

Visit here again next month when we dive into the world of book making with Wynn Yarrow.

Thanks for visiting!

xoxo, erica

Clay Coil Creatures Part 1

First Friday Art Club visited and learned in a local museum in

March with a ceramics survey course. 

Who has visited the Rockwell Museum before today?

We visited The Rockwell Museum for a visit in the galleries and a lesson in ceramic construction. The class began with a pristine education lab.  Education Programs Coordinator, Amy Ruza, led instruction on clay hand building using the coil technique, with the most important law of clay building- slip and score.

Slip and Score is like glue in ceramics.

The students got straight to work, understanding that they had a very strict time frame to complete this segment of the project.  It was impressive to watch these budding artists take lumps of clay and transform them into mini masterpieces.

From Lump-thing to Something

The idea was to create a creature form the coil technique, hence the program title, "Clay Coil Creatures."  

The results are quite fascinating...

There were turtles and squirrels

Great examples of coils and smooth textures

Then there were elephants

This lady has taken ceramics classes before.

They discovered texture options...

Texture with party beads

In just under an hour of working time, there was a jungle of creatures and shapes to adore. These need to dry for about two weeks before they get bisque fired 

and prepared for the next class in April.  

The next phase of these projects is glazing, 

which will give everything a new life of color and shine!

From clay to bisque, waiting for glaze

Check back in April to view the collection in it's final phase.

Thanks for visiting!

Beauty from the studio

A Special note of Thanks goes to the staff of the Rockwell Museum for collaborating with our library and welcoming our First Friday Art Club for a ceramics treat.