by KP | Oct 31, 2013 | Ceramics, Education
Something fascinating has developed in our studio over the last couple of months. Each day after school, a couple of students brew jasmine tea in a handmade teapot. The soft, subtle aroma of the loose-leaf tea fills the air as soon as they open the tin. The...
by KP | Oct 28, 2013 | Ceramics, Education
This reflection was posted at FLOW Project, a blog my students and I have been keeping to record our experience preparing and sharing an installation at Harvard’s Arts in Education Continuing the Conversation Conference this October. “What if a math...
by KP | Oct 15, 2013 | Ceramics, Education
“I don’t think I even know how to stand still and not try,” one student says. Several students and I are in the studio after school, creating cups. The topic of conversation is ‘senior slide,’ and how yesterday might have been the perfect ‘senior skip day,’ but,...
by KP | Oct 9, 2013 | Ceramics, Education
Sometimes a song pulls me through a week, and this week, it’s Radiate, from Jack Johnson’s album From Here to Now to You. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxiGXH-nccQ I know that we can attribute just about anything into music, but I’m reading this...
by KP | Oct 2, 2013 | Ceramics, Education
I want to teach Seth Godin how to throw a bowl.While he is fumbling through the centering process, I will quote Twyla Tharp:“You’re only kidding yourself if you put creativity before craft. Craft is where our best efforts begin. You should never worry that rote...
by KP | Sep 25, 2013 | Ceramics, Education
“Wet clay high five!” I exclaimed to Robert, as he sliced his cylinder in half. Smiling, he gave me a satisfying ‘splat,’ palm-to-palm. We had just shared the observation that the pot he was trying to throw had no bottom. This happens often, early in throwing; just...
