Pics from our Spring Virtual Class at THEARC
April 2021 Update: We just concluded another virtual class session with kids from THEARC. These screenshots show a pizza clay project and work on choosing glaze colors. The teachers are Chris Targoni and Ara Koh. We look forward to returning to in-person classes at THEARC soon.
About Community Clay!
by the District Clay Center
Community Clay! by the District Clay Center brings clay and ceramics to the youth of DC, with a focus on Wards 7 and 8.
Through our partnership with ArtReach GW, Community Clay! has brought the joy of clay to 46 students ages 8-16 at no cost to them, with 35% of students returning to take the class again. Of these students, not a single one had the chance to work with clay in their school. Among other skills, our students learned how to work with coils, slabs, pinch pots, attaching clay together, glazing, texturing, slump molds, abstract sculpture, wheel throwing and sgraffito. Students gained experience making both functional and decorative works, including a field trip to the District Clay Center for a studio tour and some work on the wheel. Returning students created advanced projects which built on prior class experiences. Each term culminated in a showcase of student work at the art gallery in THEARC. “I enjoy it because it’s really fun and it’s really happy to see our own concept and we get to paint and decorate our art and make all kinds of stuff.” - Community Clay! student “I like the more challenging projects because it expands your mind.” - Community Clay! student “It helps all the stress come out. It makes me happy to see all of y’all’s faces every day.” - Community Clay! student For the coming year, District Clay Center is working to expand our programming to reach more students and get more kids involved with clay. We are developing a new partnership with DC Public Schools, working alongside public school art teachers to help deepen students’ experience with clay. Heading into the 2020-2021 school year, we will work with DCPS to develop clay projects for students to do, whether learning in the classroom or at home. As the needs of the upcoming school year become clear, this will likely include teacher training and assistance with materials that students can use while learning from home. Our Community Clay! Program is run under District Clay Center's 501(c)3 arm, the District Clay Educational Fund (DCEF). All donations to the Fund and our Community Clay! program are tax deductible. |
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