By Saniyah Courtney

In Ms. Holter’s ceramics class at Patterson High School, students are creating unique works of art with clay while building technical skills and getting hands-on experience with clay. The class provides foundational techniques and explores individual creativity, making it very beginner-friendly.

At the start of the course, students focused on basic skills that every ceramic artist needs to know, such as different types of clay, how to wedge the clay (which is very important) and facts about the kiln. 

As the class moved forward, students began applying these skills through several projects. One of the projects was a kiln God, imaginative sculptures from a tradition to “watch over” clay pieces while they fire in the kiln. This project encouraged creativity and allowed students to experiment freely with design and symbolism. Another project that the students worked on was pinch pots, which helped them create new shapes to form an egg with designs.

Students used the egg project as an opportunity to express unique ideas. For example, student Aaliyah Ward created a mermaid egg decorated with stars and a tail.

Another project was a snowman. Students practiced how to roll the clay, slip and score, and avoid many risks of it bursting in the kiln. Student Myra Fortune created a snowman with a detachable head and an afro to represent her creativity.

The current projects that students are working on are coil vases, each attaching the coils on top of each other to make a One-foot-tall vase.

Some students in ceramics are prepping for AP Art, making artworks to connect to their sustained investigation out of clay. A sustained investigation is a key part of AP Art where students explore a central idea or theme through artworks over time. 

While some students are focused on creating sculptures for their AP, the class remains a fun and supportive environment for students who are not focused on going to AP art. Many of the students simply enjoy the process of creating sculptures for daily use and even decoration, making the ceramic class fun for everyone.