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safety and studio rules please----long plea for help

updated fri 5 sep 08

 

cec on tue 2 sep 08


I have landed a position as an instructor at a local Comm. College. The oth=
er instructor is mainly self taught and there are some issues that need to =
be addressed both for safety and general politeness of sharing space.=20

Without detailing ALL of the back and forth issues....
There doesn't seem to be any glaze testing going on, not for food safe, not=
for fit, not for running down on to unprotected shelves and kiln bottoms. =
ALL of the glaze materials are in the open in plastic baggies, including Ba=
rium, lithium, and manganese. There have been 50# bags of neph sye opened o=
n the flat side and left that way in front of an industrial fan. Kiln shelv=
es have never been cleaned, most of them have never been kiln washed, they =
have glaze on BOTH sides. 18 wheels none of them have been leveled. The one=
locking cabinet has lots of little personal stuff from the other instructo=
r but no supplies.=20

I cleaned half of the kiln shelves and the other instructor has shown a pre=
ference for using these shelves and then not putting them back properly and=
not cleaning off anything stuck to the formerly clean shelves.=20

I would gradually take care of all of these things but for the attitude of =
the other instructor. I dearly hate to be a lackey for someone who complain=
ed that the electrical system was messed up because the kilns would not fir=
e to cone 10....they are cone 8 electrics.....

The director of the center (college) has asked me for safety and studio rul=
es from outside sources to keep the conflict from arising....
Could you professors, instructors, and studio sharers please give me some s=
tudio rules without directly referencing what I have told you about the sit=
uation?

Because any of you that might remember me from several years ago know that =
I have OPINIONS and=A0 a tendency to be blunt. I am trying to work on this =
and I am beginning to white knuckle here.=20

Thanks-
Celia--now in VA not NC

=0A=0A=0A

Vince Pitelka on wed 3 sep 08


Celia wrote:
"Could you professors, instructors, and studio sharers please give me some
studio rules without directly referencing what I have told you about the
situation?"

Celia -
I have guidelines rather than rules, because we have a relatively small
student body and it is pretty easy to keep track of who does what. We also
have always managed to maintain extremely high standards of studio behavior
in the way people treat each other and the equipment. However, I do have a
fairly comprehensive safety handout that includes the few things that we
think of as "rules." You can find it on my website at:
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/safety.htm
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka

John Post on wed 3 sep 08


Get a copy of Monona Rossol's Keeping Claywork Safe and Legal from the
Potter's Shop in Needham Massachusetts.

It lays out safe studio practices and methods.

John Post
Sterling Heights, Michigan

:: cone 6 glaze website :: http://www.johnpost.us
:: elementary art website :: http://www.wemakeart.org






On Sep 2, 2008, at 11:15 PM, cec wrote:

> I have landed a position as an instructor at a local Comm. College.
> The other instructor is mainly self taught and there are some issues
> that need to be addressed both for safety and general politeness of
> sharing space.
>
> Without detailing ALL of the back and forth issues....
> There doesn't seem to be any glaze testing going on, not for food
> safe, not for fit, not for running down on to unprotected shelves
> and kiln bottoms. ALL of the glaze materials are in the open in
> plastic baggies, including Barium, lithium, and manganese. There
> have been 50# bags of neph sye opened on the flat side and left that
> way in front of an industrial fan. Kiln shelves have never been
> cleaned, most of them have never been kiln washed, they have glaze
> on BOTH sides. 18 wheels none of them have been leveled. The one
> locking cabinet has lots of little personal stuff from the other
> instructor but no supplies.
>
> I cleaned half of the kiln shelves and the other instructor has
> shown a preference for using these shelves and then not putting them
> back properly and not cleaning off anything stuck to the formerly
> clean shelves.
>
> I would gradually take care of all of these things but for the
> attitude of the other instructor. I dearly hate to be a lackey for
> someone who complained that the electrical system was messed up
> because the kilns would not fire to cone 10....they are cone 8
> electrics.....
>
> The director of the center (college) has asked me for safety and
> studio rules from outside sources to keep the conflict from
> arising....
> Could you professors, instructors, and studio sharers please give me
> some studio rules without directly referencing what I have told you
> about the situation?
>
> Because any of you that might remember me from several years ago
> know that I have OPINIONS and a tendency to be blunt. I am trying
> to work on this and I am beginning to white knuckle here.
>
> Thanks-
> Celia--now in VA not NC
>
>
>
>
>
>

Vince Pitelka on thu 4 sep 08


Des Howard wrote:
"Vince
Excellent!
Comprehensive, considered & cautious,
explanatory, but not inflammatory.
Presented without a beaten breast or ululation in sight."

I rarely beat my breast or ululate in the studio, and never in class. A
time and place for everything.
- Vince

Des & Jan Howard on fri 5 sep 08


Vince
Excellent!
Comprehensive, considered & cautious,
explanatory, but not inflammatory.
Presented without a beaten breast or ululation in sight.
Des

Vince Pitelka wrote:
> I have guidelines rather than rules, because we have a relatively small
> student body and it is pretty easy to keep track of who does what. We also
> have always managed to maintain extremely high standards of studio behavior
> in the way people treat each other and the equipment. However, I do have a
> fairly comprehensive safety handout that includes the few things that we
> think of as "rules." You can find it on my website at:
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/safety.htm

--
Des & Jan Howard
Lue Pottery
Lue NSW
Australia
2850

02 6373 6419
www.luepottery.hwy.com.au