...... and they listened.
As the workshop consultant and ceramic artist for the American Art Clay Company, Mr. Donker traveled throughout the United States and Canada instructing teachers in the use of ceramic equipment and materials. He also demonstrated extensively in the schools "entertaining and educating young and old with his mad antics on the potter's wheel." An independent consultant, artist and potter, Rogier has been doing pottery demonstrations for over thirty-five years. A variety of programs are offered for schools, church groups, Girl and Boy Scout troops as well as other interested organizations such as the Lion's Club, Kiwanis International and Rotary Clubs.
Although very involved in entering shows and participating in art fairs and festivals before Elias was born, the only festival Rogier participates in today is the Clay City Pottery Festival held each June in Clay City, Indiana. The festival is sponsored by the Clay City Lions Club and is that organization's largest fundraiser for their many philanthropic and service oriented endeavors. Heavily promoted by the Clay City Pottery , the oldest commercial pottery in the state of Indiana and one of the largest employers in the town of 900 souls , the festival each year attracts thousands of visitors from a wide geographic area. Started by a Welsh potter named Beryl Griffith, the Clay City Pottery has been owned and operated by his descendants for 120 years. Seventeen years ago, Lloyd "Jug" Griffith was the owner of the Clay City Pottery. Lloyd, a basket ball team and class mate of Rogier's father in law and president of the Clay City Lions Club at the time , contacted Rogier to be a TV spokesman for and a promoter of the CCPF. Ever since Rogier has attended the festival as a pottery demonstrator educating and entertaining young and old. This year's seventeenth annual festival promises to be even more entertaining and educational as for the third year in a row a live "Raku" demonstration is scheduled. Please see the Clay City Pottery web site for more detailed information about this year's activities. Area schools that are members of the West Central Indiana Educational Service Center out of Greencastle, Indiana can book Rogier's demonstrations through that office. If your school is not a member of the WCIESC ,or if you are an administrator interested in Rogier's educational workshops and/or demonstrations , please contact Rogier for specifics and rates.
If we do not model what we teach, we are teaching something else.
2005 marks the fortieth year that Rogier has been doing school demonstrations sponsored by organizations such as:
West
Central Indiana Educational Service Center
Arts Illiana
Various Service Clubs & PTA's
“Come one come all!”
Now that
the house building is somewhat under control, Rogier once again has scheduled
one day participating summer workshops. Clay projects, a Raku demonstration and
glaze, kiln and clay discussions will make the day go fast. Geared primarily to
elementary school art teachers, it has been said that seasoned teachers can
learn a lot in one of these fast paced workshops. Each workshop is limited to 20
participants, will start at nine a.m with a break for lunch at around twelve
and continue on till five p.m (or later) Dates this year are June 21 and 28.
Cost of the workshop is $ 35.00 which includes a deli lunch and soft drinks.
Interested parties please contact Rogier via E-mail (dolcenea@frontier.com)
or by phone 1 800 394 2289
Said one participant of a previous workshop:
"Thank you for such a wonderful day at your Ceramics Workshop!!! Honestly, I learned more in the first 30 minutes of your workshop than I learned over a whole year of ceramics in college!"
.....That's what they said thirty years ago too! The guy must be doing SOMETHING right! :-)
Rogier is a semi regular guest on the Channel 10 WTHI Noon Show.
