An Educational Day in Clay at Woodhull
Life at Woodhull Intermediate School took an interesting turn for sixth graders when artist Cliff Mendelson presented his multicultural Day in Clay program, which delved into the role of pottery in history.
The visit was sponsored by the Huntington School District's arts-in-education program. Mr. Mendelson is a professional ceramic artist. He demonstrated how he uses a potter's wheel to create large scale pottery forms.
Mr. Mendelson generated many samples of pottery from different cultures. The gifted artist spoke about how each culture has recorded their history through the symbols on their pottery.
Members of Woodhull's sixth grade art club were invited to meet with Mr. Mendelson prior to the start of the regular school day. The youngsters helped form a large vase, which has subsequently become part of Woodhull's permanent art collection.
Mr. Mendelson met with classes of sixth graders throughout the day, explaining how the history of cultures is often told through clay pots. His presentation also touched upon African, Native American, Greek and Asian pottery influences.
The Day in Clay program included a live pottery wheel demonstration, introduction to the properties of clay, design motifs from different countries, pottery techniques used in a variety of cultures and discussions on the form and function of pots. All students participated in finishing a large vase that was created during the day.