Clay work that teaches resilience, in the Art in the Garden summer program

Working with clay teaches patience, resilience and empowerment. Instructors, Sandra Moore, Shawn Terrell, Kamryn Randall, Jasmine Allen and Diamond Beck, will be working with Art in the Garden and OMA Pittsburgh. 

As art leaders, we will provide the tools and materials for the youth who will be working with clay, making a unique artifact or mosaic. Youth will learn about a variety of surface treatments to add detail to their clay work, such as burnishing, stamps, texture and glaze. We will fire the work using the low fire technique called Horsehair Raku in a portable kiln built on site; glazed work will be fired in the studio kiln. Youth will learn to understand how their clay piece will survive the firing and have the opportunity to learn what they need to do in order to survive and thrive in the face of challenges. This naturally leads to a discussion on resilience.Youth will be able to experience the process, from the creation of their artifact to a firing of their pieces. 

We will also make the blue marbles from clay for the “Blue Marble Project” which the youth will use thru out the Art in The Garden project.

Will purchase materials and cordinate three teachers to work. Bring materials, kiln and bisqued fired work to site each day. All new clay greenware the youth make returns to the studio of #fineartsbysandra and is fired and brought back to the site for the following session. At the end of the ten weeks the youth will donate artifacts of their chosing to create a mosaic artifact mural for the Garden.

Why this collaboration matters: Research shows that when children can better recognize, express and regulate their emotions; emotional intelligence and social skills increase, anxiety and depression decrease, they are less likely to bully others, they have better academic performance, and they have stronger leadership skills. Above all, Art in the Garden and its collaborators seek to enable youth to grow in their understanding of connectedness to themselves, each other, and our earth. This program supports youth in their knowing—in deep and lasting ways—the interconnectedness of all living beings, and the ways in which we are all whole and all belong.

The Clay Project will facilitate these ongoing conversations by supporting youth in developing art work that is uniquily theirs. Youth will be able to experience the process, from the creation of their artifact to a firing of their pieces.  Building on sequential firings, the youth will learn to build more durable and better constructed pieces. This hands-on approach of student lead creation is empowering, magical and develops important life skills.