By Maggie ’26
As a 9th grader at the Middle School campus, I had the opportunity to try new electives that I would not have had the opportunity to take at a different school. I decided to try a class called Introduction to the Potter’s Wheel. This elective met every other day of the 6 day cycle and I learned all the basics of pottery. I learned how to wedge, center, throw, trim, and glaze pottery pieces for an (almost) professional looking final product. Despite having no prior experience in pottery, I was able to pick it up and it quickly became the highlight of my day. While I did not have a plan to pursue art professionally, this class made me really interested in continuing to advance my artistic skills at the Upper School.
When it was time to make course selections for my sophomore year at the Upper School, I knew immediately that I wanted to take another pottery class. I signed up for Three-Dimensional Art: Ceramics/Sculpture. While I mainly signed up for the class to continue ceramics and pottery, this class also gave me an introduction to sculpture. This class is split into two parts, with half of the year (one semester) spending time with sculpture, and the other half of the year spending time with ceramics. In the sculpture half of the class, I created a bust of a celebrity, learned the basics of welding, and had an introduction to glass art. After the first semester, our class moved to the pottery studio. Despite having some prior knowledge of the potter’s wheel from ninth grade, the class is open to everyone even if they didn’t take an art class at the middle school. However, I didn’t mind relearning some of the techniques and I was able to develop my skills even further. During this semester, there were different projects and class goals that gave some of my work purpose when I didn’t have a lot of inspiration, as well as the freedom to create personal pieces. I was able to advance my skills a lot quicker, especially with the 75 minute block at the Upper School, compared to the quick 40 minute period at the middle school.
In my junior year, I also decided to continue ceramics and I am currently enrolled in Ceramics II. This class has the same feel to it as the semester of pottery from the prior year, but we are introduced to different types of clays and new techniques that further elevated my artistic skills. Some of the projects that we have created this year include a teapot and matching tea cup set, a tall piece that is actually two smaller pieces stacked together, and we are now experimenting with different textures on the outside of the pieces. This class has even more freedom than the introductory level class, so I am able to create more pieces for my own personal projects.
I highly recommend trying out pottery and sculpture. If you don’t get a chance to try it at the middle school, I really think it is a great opportunity to try it in your sophomore year at the Upper School. Not only does it get the Upper School art credit completed, you might find that you really love pottery and want to continue it. As a senior, there is even an opportunity to take Honors Senior Art Seminar: Ceramics, which is an honors class dedicated to pottery. In this class, students have free studio time to create projects that they want to make. However, to get into this class, you need to have prior experience in a ceramics/pottery class at the Upper School, which is why I recommend trying it as a sophomore to leave that option open.
Ceramics is easily one of my favorite classes. The teachers are always kind and understanding, the students are all geared towards collaboration, and it’s one of my favorite ways to destress. I love bringing home my finished pieces and showing my family all the things I’ve created. In the midst of a busy day, it is nice to slow down, get to the studio, listen to music with my classmates and create something new.
