Family BURNS on sat 30 aug 08
Lets see if I can get this to the list................
=20
I have been in a lot of art rooms and supply closets over the years =
and one reaction to the Amaco thread is that it will likely go the way =
of the speedball tabletop presses I keep finding around my stomping =
grounds. Now there are likely many who use this device to great effect =
and treasure it... I myself though have never seen one in working order, =
or an art teacher in the building who has actually used it or knows how =
to really work it. I have seen the main part of the device that bolts to =
the table top- but not the press bed. In one school I found the press =
bed and the instructions but not the press. Its just one of those pieces =
of equipment that looks like it will really do a great job and probably =
gets ordered by one teacher for a woodcut/lino project- used a couple of =
times and either that teacher moves on and the equipment goes by the =
wayside- or maybe the effort isn't worth the result and its back to =
using the old wood block burnishing method- who knows. A great mystery =
though. Perhaps I should set up a press and bed reunification program =
and redirect complete presses to those who know what they are and will =
use them with love and care.
Tools and equipment get used, abused, and lost in public schools =
like you wouldn't believe, and a tool or piece of equipment that has no =
immediate value gets dumped pronto- When I came to the school I teach =
at - there was an old Dickerson Combination Press on site- and I was =
pumped- You can do something with that press and it can take a lot of =
misuse as well as use. It was built in the 70's and is really solid but =
when I started using it you couldn't rely on it because 2 moving parts =
had worn out of their original shape due to extremely heavy use- circles =
had become ovals....
I then set out to find where to gets parts to fix the press =
because it had such potential educational value that it was really =
worth my time to fix it. In doing so I found out that "Old Man =
Dickerson" had sold the company to Conrad and they had redesigned the =
parts that had worn out on mine. So we ordered them up and installed =
them- and that thing is good to go -been using it for 13 years and it =
works like a charm for so many kids- and it has so much educational =
value as a working piece of equipment that there would be a riot if =
anything ever happened to it - ie the press bed got lost- unthinkable =
as that is.
Another thought on the Amaco deal originates from the wonderfully =
gruff and humorous Art teacher I had for my senior year in high school. =
Mr. Dodd did not do clay in his classroom- he wasn't set up for it and =
if he tried to make it part of the curriculum it would throw off the =
other things he did that had so much value- He did 3D- just not =
ceramics- no room- couldn't do it right so it wasn't going to happen. =
Really great teacher . He had a great etching press though- one of those =
nice big wheels that you turn to run the bed- and he was set up to go =
full tilt with wood tools- his specialty. But that press and the example =
he showed by doing it right always stuck with me- The right tools, =
equipment ,and training , or its not sending the right message to the =
student- real learning.
=20
=
Sean Burns
=
Williamsburg, Ma.
| |
|
