Lee Love on wed 31 dec 03

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mert & Holly Kilpatrick"

> College is a rite of passage in the US, and a much-touted
> social experience for young people. But for functional
> potters, unless they want to teach, it may be an expensive
> luxury. At the least, there are other approaches these days
> in the US for those who prefer a different alternative.

It isn't necessary to spend $40,000 to $80,000 to learn pottery at the
university. I attended the UofMN through extension classes. I
learned to throw from Mark Pharis and Linda Sikora. Curt Hoard was a
mentor and helped me see the "art side" of the process. I took the intro
handbuilding, the intro throwing classes in the evening, and then for a
third semester, I did an independent study, but was allowed to take day
classes with the 300 level students. I learned the basics from those
three classes. Took the independent study for 1 hours credit, but put in
more time than any of the other students, often doing the dirty work (I did
this to save money.) After this, I was a studio artist at Northern Clay
Center (another great way to get exposure to many different types of
creativity in clay.)

I found that the teachers and grad students at the U enjoyed it when
someone came along with a "spark" about pottery, even if they were Extension
students like myself. So often, they had to deal with "BFA painters" who
took ceramics thinking it would be an easy way to fulfill their 3D
requirement but were stunned by all the "dirty work" required from clay once
they got in. They were rarely around to load the kilns, fire the kilns,
clean the shop or to prepare kiln shelves.

So, there are other ways to think about the university and
education. I think everyone should be exposed to a liberal arts program
(learning how to learn), but focus on their interests after that is
completed.

Someday, I hope to provide 1 to 3 month long experiences in my
workshop for potters, focusing on students from studio arts programs and
also older potters like myself. It is important to teach as a means of
expressing gratitude to the teachers who have taught me.

--
Lee In Mashiko, Japan
http://Mashiko.org
Web Log (click on recent date):
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Lee Love on thu 1 jan 04

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hank Murrow"

> return the favor finally, but I can see the benefit of a participatory
> 6 week (two firing cycles) sort of studio experience. Maybe I can make
> it happen in my own studio.

Mostly, what I'd like to share are speechless things: the
bamboo and cedar grove next to our house, the ricefields with the running
water in the irrigation ditches filling them, the grandfather farmer riding
his bicycle to work in the fields, what the rice fields look like in their
first greening, what the nuka ash looks like burning in the fields, where
the wild myoga grows, the bamboo shoots pushing up through the rich soil...

"Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in
a cup. "
--Wende
ll Berry

--
Lee In Mashiko, Japan
http://Mashiko.org
Web Log (click on recent date):
http://www.livejournal.com/users/togeika/calendar

Lee Love on thu 1 jan 04

----- Original Message -----
From: "Simona Drentea"


> <>
>
> Gosh I sure miss this about MN, they had great community ed & extension
> programs.

I don't know if it has changed, but when I was taking extension
classes, they were also audited (no credit) free if you were old enough
(can't remember, anybody know? Was it 62?)

--
Lee In Mashiko, Japan
http://Mashiko.us