Here Comes The Sun-Pottery Project

For this project we welcomed the Spring Equinox, a very important time of year in Alaska. At our latitude in Fairbanks, that means that we are experiencing equal amounts of light and dark. I shared an image of the position of the earth in relation to the sun at this time of year from TimeAndDate.com to help students visualize how this happens. We began our unit by drawing our Spring Equinox inspired designs onto a circular template that was the size of the clay slab students would be working with. I demonstrated how a drawing would be interpreted in clay using coil, slab and pinch techniques so students could see that they should design the whole space of the template with simple shapes that could be constructed from clay. After the drawings were complete I continued my demonstration with a focus on how to attach clay pieces together using the "scratch and slip" method. I also included use of various tools, not only for blending edges of pieces together, but for adding stamped details. We also discussed planning for one or two holes from which to hang the finished piece. Using Styrofoam dinner plates, students cut their circle from a slab of clay, slumped it into their Styrofoam plate mold, and began their Spring Equinox relief sculpture. After a bisque firing, we painted with acrylic paint.

Relief Printmaking

Students chose either a Korean zodiac animal or Alaska Native totem animal as their influence. During the Winter Olympics we learned that traditional Korean culture follows a similar New Years zodiac as in traditional Chinese culture. Since we're in Alaska, we found similarities between how Korean zodiac animals and Alaska Native totem animals represent characteristics of people or groups of people. A variety of photos were available for students to work from after they made their choice. Students worked on drawings that used solid shapes, and textures made with line or pattern since printmaking involves carving an image which is very different from doing a shaded drawing. Some classes used foam printing plates, other classes used a soft rubber style printing material.