Jake’s work in progress
This year all level one art classes are creating a project based on a ideas and imagery the student associates with Florida. In Ceramics 1 we started this project reading an article from the News Journal about the history of Port Orange. Using a 3,2,1 reading strategy each class worked as individuals and small groups to gain new knowledge and summarize the text, as well as pulling out content that could be the starting idea for a new artwork.
Jasnit’s work in progress
Last year our theme project “What’s Inside My Head” was much more wide open. Many students had a hard time starting the project with both the subject and form being a free choice. Reflecting on this problem, I asked my ceramics 1 students to develop a project idea that fit into one of the following categories: culture, environment, famous person, history. I presented five different sculptural options to create: a pair of bookends, a bank, a shoe, portrait bust, or a teapot. The pair of bookends has been the most popular selection, using slab building to create the basic form.
Last Friday students reached the halfway point of the building process. Some students are using underglaze and applying some color to their work before leaving it out to dry. After the work is finished it will dry for about a week then be fired for the first time. Glazes will be applied and the work is then fired for the second time. You can read what the students have to say in their own words, each student’s blog is featured in the left-hand column or under the GEAR icon depending on you device. I’ve featured a few students’ blogs below that will give you a picture of the range of projects and ideas that are being developed in class.