The Potter's Wheel

Recently, I found myself downstairs in the Broadway Campus Ceramics Room with two students and their art teacher, Jim Harper. It’s a pretty cool place; very intimate because of its 8’x10’ size, with in-progress art pieces displayed on shelving, a couple of potter’s wheels, a trash can for pit firing (outside, of course), a work table, and a huge bucket of clay just waiting for a student to put his or her hands in it.

Both students are in their first year of the IB Diploma Programme, which according to Jim, “is about exploring, practicing, and building skills. Our students conduct independent investigations into art that encompass history, culture, and his/her interests, while taking opportunities to build upon his/her skills in their chosen mediums.” There’s no right or wrong, just discovery. And sometimes that discovery takes time, as the student using the potter’s wheel was unintentionally demonstrating.

Bubbles kept cropping up in the piece and the shape wasn’t what the student envisioned. Jim gave encouragement and made suggestions. I was struck by the patience of both student and teacher. Even though things weren’t going as planned, the student kept working his piece, adjusting and experimenting. There was no sense of frustration, no sense of disappointment. Thanks to Jim’s encouragement, and the focus of the IB programme, experimenting and possibly not succeeding are all part of learning. And completely encouraged.

Ultimately, the student decided the piece wasn’t working out and added the clay back into the giant bucket for another day. But…he had taken chances…he had learned…and he would try again. I can’t wait to see his DP exhibit next year. (Submitted by K Gilton)