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pottery appreciation class - on the road?

updated mon 25 may 98

 

Michael McDowell on sun 24 may 98

Whoa Nellie=21

I am trying to get this one on the road. On the road to existence right here=
in
one place. Other suggestion was to mount it on the web, a virtual course. =
Well
it is =22virtual=22 now in a sense. The sense that it has a time slot, a =
concept,
but no students. Hey=21 Let your enthusiasms run wild=21 I'm not taking that=
ride
just yet. Why don't we continue this thread with a slightly different =
premise. I
have an Idea for a course called =22Pottery Appreciation=22. I think it may =
be very
different from what many of you picture when you hear those words. Mine is =
to be
about teaching non-potters, who are interested in clay products, to =
experience
them more fully, =22appreciate=22 them more, by getting more informed about =
the very
things they =22like=22 right now. As the course progresses I expect to =
expand their
=22likes=22 thru the process of all of us sharing our =22likes=22 with =
eachother and the
new things we're discovering about them. The idea is to give shoppers the
confidence in their tastes a judgement that they will be willing to pay more=
if
need be to get what they =22really like=22. Ever have a customer attracted =
to your
best work walk away with the words =22I'm not sure=22? This is to help them =
BE sure.
Now you're not going to be able to pull the wool over these customers eyes, =
but
if you're doing work that has merit and is to THEIR tastes. They'll be =
looking
for it and be able to tell when they get their hands on it.

I think a lot of you are thinking of some kind of overview, and some kind of
attempt at =22objective=22 criteria of good pots, mine is about =
=22informing=22 the
subjective criteria each one of us has of our own.

I commend anyone pursuing their vision of what a =22Pottery Appreciation=22 =
class
should be. Just don't expect ME to make it real for you. This can be a nice =
fat
thread with all manner of smaller threads twisted into it. I'd like that. =
I'll
contribute the story of what I'm experimenting with. I'd like others to =
share
where they've been encouraged to go with their ideas, not so much telling me
where mine =22should=22 go. Lord knows the world could use to know more =
about pots
from all possible approaches.

Michael McDowell
Whatcom County, WA USA
http://www2.memes.com/mmpots
mmpots=40memes.com