mel jacobson on wed 16 dec 09
this was a request for me to sit
down with folks at amaco and talk
about the plight of ceramics in art education.
it is a serious conversation.
many elementary and art teachers come to the schools with
almost no sense of how to use clay in the curriculum.
they know nothing. no training, no experience. and,
my take is: they fear clay.
mess
chaos
firing.
so i spent many hours with the owners of amaco
thinking/planning ways to educate the educators.
of course, we are at a place in ceramic education that
colleges do not teach technique, they teach `art thinking`.
so, even those folks that want to know, are not given the
opportunity.
it seems that ceramic education is going to be the
responsibility of the clay vendors. a sad but true
commentary on higher education.
at least companies like amaco are willing to accept
the challenge, and look at the future of clay education
as their responsibility. no one else is doing it.
this will be a costly endeavor.
i know this sounds harsh, but many of us have been preaching
this gospel for a long time. we have to answer the questions,
we have to do the re/teaching. clayart has become a sounding board
for the revival of clay education. if you know nothing, you cannot
teach it. simple as that.
i get notes all the time from clayart teachers saying how much
clayart means to them, how they learn more in a few weeks reading
clayart than they got in classes at a college.
so, i am asking all of you to respond, think, help in this adventure.
it is our future and the future of ceramics. it will take effort and
clear thinking. when the school dollars are flushed down the toilet,
programs like ceramics are the first to die. we need a few band aides.
many teachers just need help, some simple instructions, some encouragement.
potters must step forward and see that the teachers learn basic ceramic
skill. we may have to stick our noses under that tent.
mel
it is easy to point out the good programs around the country. we know
they are there, we know who they are, but the basic everyday
programs are in deep
trouble.
mel
i will report later on my other time spend at brent, amazing things
going on.
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
| |
|
