The ceramics class down in Monk Hall, regardless of its small size, has created many amazing projects, including bento boxes, as mentioned in a previous article. After a ceramic project is finished being sculpted from clay, it dries on what we call the bone-drying shelf. Once dry, it can go for its first firing in the kiln. This stage is called bisqueware, during which all the moisture and water is heated, and which results in a more solid sculpture. While we waited to fire our bento boxes, we started a new project with many clay coils as the major design. We made a slab in the shape of a dragon’s eye and then carefully added the coils in various ways to make an intricate design. We then added holes around the eye; these holes enable yarn to be woven to form the dragon’s actual eye. Two completely different forms of art coming into one!
The next project our ceramics class worked on was a whistle. This was a challenge for us because the bottom of the whistle needs to have an diagonal opening to cut the air to properly make the whistle sound. If it didn’t produce any sound, then the whistle would have to be restarted again. For this project, a wooden stick in the mouthpiece was required to stay in place to prevent the airway from collapsing, while the students added their desired sculpture to the whistle. Ceramics is art and engineering, creation and precision!
