Coming into Room 242, junior Gabe Niemann stops in the kiln room to grab his materials: a pound of clay, a board, slip, tools to scratch and cut. Every tool needed to create his latest idea lay in the cabinet waiting to be used. In the sketchbook provided to Niemann lies quick sketches, concepts, and color palettes. Spread open to the latest page, the sketchbook lays beside his tools on the crafting table, with his sgraffito plate idea, a portrait of his childhood dog.
Ceramics is one of the many fine arts classes offered at Francis Howell Central, allowing for students to express their creativity in between their academic classes while simultaneously learning new ceramic skills with each workshop. While Mrs. Michelle Ridlen thoroughly assists students within each stage of construction, students are encouraged to problem solve independently. At the start of each workshop, students create a concept before construction begins. Which is one of the ways Ridlen encourages students’ creativity on their journey.
One student who decided to give ceramics a try in his last year, senior Christopher Vaughn, reflects on how flexibility and problem-solving is important when trying to bring a ceramic piece to life.
“I’ll ask Mrs. Ridlen when I feel like I messed up; ‘What do I do now?’ and she’ll be like ‘You’re off tempo, but it’s fine. We can just build upon what we have now.’ Mistakes are mistakes, things happen,” said Vaughn.
While working with clay can be troublesome, the lessons learned once a vision comes to life can only be described as completely fulfilling.
“I enjoy doing ceramics. And because of that, I know that even if I mess up or I have to restart on something, it’s fine because I just enjoy the process of building… Really, just don’t give up even if it’s not perfect. Even if you have to restart over and over again that’s fine, because at the end, you still get there,” said Niemann.
