Crowd-Pleasing: Pottery and Cyanotypes

Impact: All Art students at McCarroll MS

I have been teaching art to middle schoolers at McCarroll Middle School for 15 years. Every year I apply for a DEF grant to enhance the students’ art experiences. Thanks to the DEF, when the art students ask, “Are we going to use clay?” I can say, ”Of course, we are!” When they ask, “Are we going to do something cool?”I can say, “Of course, we are!” And hopefully, with continued support of DEF by our community, you will help us do that!

Crowd-Pleasing Projects is a grant for funding the tried and true art lessons involving clay and printmaking. Consistently, art students ask about clay work, pottery/ceramics, and if they will get to make something. They also love the pottery projects because they get to take them home or gift them to a parent or grandparent. Student artists also love the magic of printmaking. Cyanotypes are fun because after the planning and initial idea development, the sun does the work of developing the print!

Through Crowd-Pleasing Projects, McCarroll art students will be given the opportunity to expand their knowledge of two creative processes, specifically hand-building techniques in clay and printmaking through cyanotypes. Cyanotypes are more commonly known as ‘sunprints’.

The two art lessons using these materials will be self-reflective in nature. Students will consider activities that make them feel proud, or offer a sense of gratitude and promote positivity as a source of inspiration and subject matter. Pottery containers will be hand built by student artists and will depict these elements through additive methods (clay added to clay) or other sculptural techniques. Similarly, the cyanotypes will depict symbols or images that will be printed on fabric sheets, then embroidered for accent elements and finally sewn into a wall hanging or a throw pillow.

The impact of creation and the development of a sense of pride in a job well done will follow the art students as they continue to develop and grow into young adults. McCarroll currently enrolls 800 students, approximately 350 6th and 7th grade student artists will participate in the activities of Crowd-Pleasing Projects.