Year of Award

2008

Document Type

Professional Paper - Campus Access Only

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Fine Arts (Integrated Arts and Education)

Department or School/College

Creative Pulse Program

Committee Chair

Karen Kaufmann

Commitee Members

Dorothy Morrison, Randy Bolton

Keywords

ceramics, elementary art

Publisher

University of Montana

Abstract

I spent the past year writing and implementing a series of ceramics lesson to be used in the primary art curriculum at my school. These lessons integrate children’s literature focusing on Native Americans and the culture of pot making. In order to use these lessons I developed some basic control over clay and learned how use the electric kiln in my classroom. The objective of my project was to embrace an art form with which I had very limited experience and a media, clay, with which I had very little control. I had to gain skills that would allow me to help my primary school students consistently produce objects of which they could be proud. I made hundreds of pots with children this year. I helped my students form their pots by using my hands with their hands, and I learned a lot about fire and what it takes to change. The big electric kiln had sat in a corner of our art room for years and I was afraid to turn on the power. Working through the project this year I overcame that fear. As a result of this project I am confident we can make ceramic art at our school. We will still have firings that do not produce great results, but we can learn from our mistakes and we will have firings that bring joy and a sense of achievement to many young artists.

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© Copyright 2008 Carolyn Joyce Pardini