Demonstration Archives for 2004-2005 School Year
The 18th annual Clay City Lions Club Pottery Festival took place recently and both the Lions Club charcoal roasted chicken and/or steak sandwiches (or dinner) on Saturday and the Jonah Fish Fry on Sunday went over "fantabulously" with the crowd.
The weather this year did not co-operate as the rains kept coming… It seemed that for the very first time the popular all Clay City annual event was a total wash-out. In spite of the rain though, a steady stream of visitors found their way to the many activities taking place all over Goshorn Park, the town and the Pottery.
This year the Clay City Pottery celebrated its one hundred and twenty year anniversary making the family owned business one of the oldest in the Mid West according to sixth generation owner Cheryl Griffith Wellman. The pottery is definitely worthy of a visit! While less than the usual numbers the crowd was steady throughout the weekend in spite of the rain. Early Saturday morning members of the Clay City Lions Club manned “only” ten (of the twenty available) charcoal grills and started preparing the "famous-fall-of-the-bone" charcoal grilled chicken that is certainly the tastiest attribute of the festival. The chicken recipe, with its untold secret ingredients, has been handed down from "Head Lions Club Chef" to the current "Head Lions Club Chef " since 1947 and has no equal in the Wabash Valley. “Only” ten grills, it was said above, because this year, for the first time, charcoal broiled rib eye steak sandwiches or dinners were also on the menu. Boy! They were good!!
The Clay City Lions Club is the main sponsor of the Festival and the Festival is their main fund raising activity. All profits are pumped right back into the community. Both the chicken dinners and the steak sandwiches went over extremely well, these two CCBees (that’s “Clay City Beauties”!) did not need to be asked if the “grub” was good…their faces tell all.
Over the years other Clay City service organizations have been encouraged to join in on the fund raising activities. Organizations such as the "Band Boosters" and the Volunteer Fire Department, the Clay City Calico Quilters to name but a few, have come to be regular participants and with their presence have become important contributors to the success of the Festival.
Over the years the Festival has developed into a regional event that draws people from as far away as Arizona and New York. The Festival now offers something for just about everyone. There's a flea market, an arts and crafts show & sale, the Quilt Display, Antique Cars and Tractors, a demonstrating potter (guess who!) on the North side of town in Goshorn Park and factory tours of the now 120 year old family owned Clay City Pottery on the South side of town. Family business prevented the husband and wife potter team Robin and Jay Willey from attending this year, but they have promised to make it back next year. Their beautiful work lent a certain “class” to the art and craft part of the Festival. New this year, though , was a young potter from Texas, Brazos Condra, who brought along a beautiful display of his work. Copper red glazes on large platters, salt glazes and “beautifully deformed” pots were a feast for THIS potter’s eye. Hopefully Brazos will return next year and get to see Robin and Jay’s work. It will be a good thing for all! ;-)
The banter of the side show barker, with his "Ring-a-ding-ding" and his familiar "Cool" added to the ambiance of the Festival and brought smiles to the faces of all.
This year Rogier Donker brought his Raku kiln again but the rain shorted out the kiln and Saturday’s Raku demonstrations had to be cancelled. The kiln was repaired Saturday night though and Sunday afternoon the Raku demonstrations were a huge success.
In between it all this potter did his share of demonstration throwing and teaching whoever wanted to try their hand at the wheel. A good time was had by all!
See you next year!
In June it was off to meet 35 girl scouts from Crawford County ,Illinois. They were having a jamboree and were camped out in Shakamak State Park. They made pinch pots, gnomes and messed around on the wheel. Jessica even threw a pot by "remote control". She was the "remote", I was the "control". Sure looks like they had a good time! I know I did! :-)
In late April Arts Illiana sponsored a three period participating workshop for the Special Education students at Terre Haute North High School on three consecutive days. Oh what a ball we all had! On the first day the students learned to use stamps to decorate boxes. The second day the boxes were hollowed out and all of them turned out great! So excited we all were that the dingbat (that would be ME!) forgot to take pictures of the boxes....the kids know they did a great job though! After the boxes the eager students were treated to the potters wheel "zoo" and a few other "wheel tricks". The third day was to be "Gnome Day" ...Oh boy! First the slab "bodies" were made and decorated with stamps, then the students went to town making the faces. Conehead? Yep, why not! Rules are made to be broken, right? OK ...sometimes! Just look at these wonderful creatures! The pictures speak for themselves, although I can't figure out whether that one guy is sticking out his tongue or smoking a cigar!
In late March 2005 it was off to Rockville for a day of box
building and demonstrations.
Rockville
Elementary has a very dynamic art teacher,
Mrs. Connie McClure.
Mrs. McClure's students ,over the years, have decorated the school's hallways
with beautiful tile mozaics. Being in Parke County, home of the
Covered Bridge Festival,
one mural depicts a covered bridge, another the Parke County Court House and yet
another the proverbial little red school house. Having visited this schools for
several years, there was no need for lengthy introductions or getting to know
each other. The older kids wasted no time and dove right into the clay and made
some very nicely decorated boxes, that ,under the direction of Mrs. McClure will
be hollowed out later.
Then it was off to the gym where the lower grades were anxiuously awaiting the
"clay dude"
...40 years of doing school demonstrations and I am STILL having fun!
...so who wants to try this?.....All of 'em of course!
Explaining (for the umpteenth tine) the clay ball.
and a good time was had by all!
Early March found me doing a demonstration and
a series of participating work shops at the new charter school in Graysville.
The kids at the
Rural Community Academy made for a great audience during the
demonstration, but when it came to the ball toss....welll....let's just say
: sorry - they never even came close to the
Rockville record...but a good time
was had by all, none-the-less!
On the first day of the three day visit, the kids enjoyed a demonstration of the
potter's wheel. Porky the Pig, Donald Duck, the alligator and of course Dumbo
the elephant were once again a great success.
"ball toss"
On day two and three students participated in a hands-on workshop which was
geared to the different grade levels. Almost five hundred pounds of clay was
turned into gnomes, boxes, gnome faces and pinch pots, much to the delight of
everyone involved.
Gnomes in the making
Are
we having fun or what?
They
sure are IN to it!
...and alligators too!
imprinting boxes
this is so cool!
Gnome faces
"...a picture is worth a thousand words..."
In February it was off for the annual trek to
Edgewood Junior High
School in Elletsville, Indiana. The kids were eagerly awaiting the arrival
of the "mud dude" in hopes of crushing the Rockville ball toss record....to no
avail....so dismal was their attempt that we shall not divulge the number of
tosses....Ah, but a good time was had by all!
|
Next it was off to Rockville High school. As soon as the students learned of the Van Duyn Elementary ball toss record (76) they insisted on trying to break it.....What was I to do, but to make another ball and watch the Rockville kids SHATTER the recently set record to the proverbial "smithereens"!!
One group tossed the ball (are you ready?) ninety - five times.....the next group ninety- six....Hello?! Sit down!
I have a feeling this record will stand for a long time!!!
Ernie Pyle Elementary was next on the schedule. It had been a few years since this school was visited, but the still the present fifth graders remembered Donald Duck and the rest of the clay menagerie from their Kindergarten days. A good time was had by all, again.
Next it was off to Van Duyn Elementary in Southern Vermillion County.
Messed up big time!
No stranger at Van Duyn, it was decided to let the fifth grade try their hands at the tossing of the ball…So after being impressed how difficult a task was before them ( Rockville High School SENIORS hold the record for the most ball tosses) the kids were determined to break the record…..The Fifth Graders didn’t have a chance it was thought, so no pictures were taken……Hello!
The Fifth Grade of Van Duyn Elementary now holds the ball toss record…
71 tosses!!!
(sorry Rockville Seniors!)
In early December it was off to Union High School in Dugger, Indiana for three days of intensive wheel throwing. Since this was not my first visit to this school all of the art students were ready to jump in without any further ado. And Boy! Did they jump in!!
The day started with an intensive demonstration as to how to prepare the clay for throwing. Two hand spiral wedging is downright tricky to do correctly, but after a while the students caught on. The first picture shows how to hold the hands correctly (on top) and how most novices try to hold their hands….incorrectly (at bottom) Gotta keep that clay contained between the palms of the hand…”Sideways-Inward” pressure…
Since there were four wheels available I was able to teach four students at the time. “Drill Sergeant Donker“ at work…
The first day all the students that wanted to, got a chance to work on the wheel and be subject to my verbal “abuse”. Most students produced their first “masterpiece”, that they will be allowed keep until such time that they replace it with a better masterpiece! May be tomorrow! :-)
Here and there some individual attention, sure glad I had a chair on wheels to scoot back and forth between the students!
Once the High School students were well on their way, it was time to entertain future potters. The Elementary grades came in one by one and were introduced to Dinosaur Goop, the Alligator and Donald Duck. And a few other things!
The future potters of Union High School are in good hands, as Eric turned into a most able teacher assistant and is more than happy to lend a helping hand to those in need….on the potter’s wheel that is!!
Go Eric!
In November Rogier visited North Central High School where the students were ready to do some serious "potting". Several of the students created their first "masterpiece" by "remote control" - they were the "control", I was the "remote". They did good!
Hold your hands this way!
That's the way!
Looking good!
Part of the demonstration involved the ,by now infamous, ball toss. The ball is made of wet and soft clay and held "together" by the air pressure inside. By catching it very, very carefully it IS possible to toss it back and forth...
The "ball "is almost done
Boy did they try....this is toss # 18....
another class tried it : toss # 26....
..oops....:-(
DID YOU KNOW!
So far Rockville High School holds the state record....53 tosses....same record has stood now for two years.
November 2004
The thirty-ninth pottery demonstration year started with a visit to
Turkey Run High
School. Last time I was there was five years ago. The kids that are now in
High School remembered Donald Duck, the Alligator and the Dinosaur Goop story
from that last visit when they were in Elementary School. This time around they
were ready for some serious teaching and demonstrating as well as hands on
experience. Here is a representative sample of the many pictures that were
taken.
the
little ball of clay
ready
for the "draw"
never
seen them THAT attentive!
"This
feels weird"...she said
This
way!
and
Like that!
The morning was spent in the High School Art room, where several students made a
valiant attempt at throwing a pot . Some even got to keep their
"semi-masterpieces" :-)
In the afternoon it was off to the
Turkey Run
Elementary School were the kids were eagerly awaiting the "Clayman". The
Fourth and Fifth Graders enthusiastically recalled the Dinosaur Goop story they
remembered from Kindergarten five years earlier. Made some kind of impression!
They could not wait to get involved! A good time was had by all!
The Jolly Green Giant's Cereal Bowl
the
ball...
this is so cool!
mesmerized
she's doing it correctly!
and so is she!
In November the
Facilities Management
Division of the
Indianapolis Public Schools once again sponsored a teacher workshop in which
care and maintenance of kilns was discussed. Organized by Rose Fleeny, the
dynamic art teacher at
IPS School # 78 and attended by over forty teachers the workshop went over
very well. Especially for new teachers, just starting their career. The
importance of vacuuming debris from blow ups, kiln washing floor of firing
chamber and top surfaces of shelves as well as how to spot for defective
thermocouples or kiln sitter tube assemblies were all topics of discussion. All
the participants received a copy of "Of Clay, Glazes and Kilns" and all agreed
it was an afternoon well spent!
Anticipation is building...
talk about attention!
....and
that's a thermocouple!...
attention=learning...
Click Here for a Power Point Presentation of Tecumseh-Harrison