Isis Everett places one more item into the ceramics kiln
BRONX, NY – It has been nearly a decade since the kilns at the back of Truman’s art room 106 have been fired up, but now both the kilns, and the students using them are ablaze with excitement over the newest addition to the art program.
“It is very good for them to think in 3D,” says art teacher Ms. Paula Mills. At a time when students are used to using two-dimensional paper and flat computer and phone screens, the new art addition is forcing them to think a little differently. So far the ceramics students have created three types of pots – a pinch pot, coil pot and slab pot. Now, students are making clay recreations of places that make them feel safe.
“I enjoy making things with my hands,” says Truman junior Isis Everett. “I had a very hard time with making things 3D, so this was a challenge for me, which I very much enjoyed.”
Principal Keri Alfano purchased two brand new ceramic kilns after the ones used nearly a decade ago were no longer functional.
“It’s one of the few schools in the city that is doing ceramics,” according to Ms. Mills. “It’s building the art program and giving the students something they probably wouldn’t get anywhere else.”
Everett said she cannot wait to see the finished product.
“I feel very excited to see what it looks like and I’m very excited to see what it looks like glazed,” she added. Meanwhile, Ms. Mills said that while all art can be beneficial to the student’s mental health, she particularly loves ceramics, which she majored in during her time in college.
“It’s very therapeutic,” Ms. Mills said.
