[Clayart] sumi/transition

[KATHI LESUEUR]

On May 15, 2018, at 10:44 AM, Cyndy Littleton wrote:

> Mel,
>     I just completed interviews for potential instructors for the pottery
> studio I manage for a non-profit art school. I was blown away by the number
> of individuals who even after 15 or 20 years of clay experience have never
> mixed a glaze and have limited experience with kilns. But they are applying
> for pottery instructor's positions. Yes, their pots are lovely and
> functional. But where is the "potter" in these individuals?


I find this lack of knowledge interesting. When I taught delinquents at Boysville in the '70's I modeled the class like I had been taught at Eastern Michigan University. my goal was to give my students enough knowledge to make pots on their own if they ever wanted to. They made their own clay. They mixed glazes from scratch. They loaded and fired the electric kilns and they took the same test my professor, John Loree, gave us. One of my best friends is former student. He owns Detroit Tileworks. He said that when he started taking ceramics classes after leaving Boysville he realized that he had gotten a college level ceramics education. If I could do it with delinquent boys 13-17 many of whom had learning disabilities, why can't they do it on the college level anymore?  Lazy? 



 Kathi
KATHI LESUEUR
http://www.lesueurclaywork.com