By P.S. ARTS Teaching Artist Amanda Churchouse
There was a time when a number of schools had full-fledged ceramics programs. Due to lack of funding, most of those well-equipped studio classrooms have been sitting dormant for many years. That was indeed the case with the ceramics studio at Mark Twain Middle School in the Los Angeles Unified School District where the ceramics classroom has sat unused during school hours for more than 10 years. In its first program dedicated to the ceramic arts, P.S. ARTS has revitalized this ceramics studio, and it’s back up and running to serve the students of Mark Twain Middle School.
This year, the sixth graders will get to work on a variety of ceramics projects that will allow them the opportunity to explore their creativity and make connections with their core academic classes. Ceramics study aligns seamlessly with sixth grade ancient world and earth science curricula.
The ceramics studio at Mark Twain Middle School has seven potter’s wheels! I’ve developed my curriculum around traditional pottery techniques that include hand built coil pots and letting the students try their hand at one of the pottery wheels. While throwing on the potter’s wheel is no easy task, I love guiding my students through this hands-on (literally!) process that they might not otherwise experience in their everyday lives.
Thanks to P.S. ARTS, the ceramics studio at Mark Twain Middle School is once again full of creative energy and eager students ready to learn about themselves and the world around them.
