What is the most popular art unit at Westlawn? That’s easy: ceramics! According to art teacher Mr. Stuebner, “If we don’t do a ceramics project by winter break I start to get a lot of students asking about when we’ll start ceramics. I’ve only had something similar happen with painting but I don’t hear about it nearly as much as with clay.”

It’s not hard to understand students’ fascination, either. Ceramics is unique in that one project involves many different steps. In general, students shape the clay before it is fired once, then use paint brushes to apply glaze before it is fired again. Students at all grade levels engage in ceramics at Westlawn during art class:

• kindergarteners make pinch pots and a small sun,
• first grade students make luminaries and seed pockets,
• second grade students make birds,
• third grade students make animal vessels,
• fourth grade students make coil pots,
• fifth grade students make gargoyles, and
• sixth grade students make a self-sculpture.

While Mr. Stuebner enjoys teaching the ceramics unit at each level, his favorite is the fifth grade gargoyle project, because “it’s the most fun to learn about, teach, and make. The National Cathedral in Georgetown is a great resource and has some really great animal gargoyles and even a Darth Vader!” Ms. Terrell, Westlawn’s other art teacher, really enjoys the first grade luminaries, because “it’s great to see how the first graders can build upon the pinch pot skills they learned the previous year and apply their learning in a new way.”

Both art teachers suspect that a large portion of student interest in ceramics also has to do with fascination about the kiln, which is housed in a special room accessible only from inside the art room. The kiln room is fitted with eight sprinklers and a giant industrial vent that looks like an enormous range hood. The industrial vent both removes fumes from the firing kiln and keeps the space cool, which is crucial since the kiln at Westlawn can reach up to 2500 degrees Fahrenheit! Westlawn’s kiln uses electricity to heat up coils on the inside to provide the heat, and both the temperature in the kiln and the speed at which it heats up are controlled by a computer on its side. The computer is critical to helping the pieces survive the first firing. Too much heat applied too quickly can trap air and water inside the clay, which can cause the piece to crack or explode. Yikes!

Like all specials teachers at Westlawn, Mr. Stuebner and Ms. Terrell emphasize connections between their classes and a student’s general education class whenever possible. In third grade, students have the opportunity to make connections between the science unit on soil composition and the composition of the clay used in class. Students expand upon this connection in fifth grade, when the ceramics unit ties into the science unit about rock cycles and minerals. Not only do students marvel about the ways in which glaze changes color in the kiln due to heat being applied to the minerals, they are especially fascinated by the concept that the kiln can be used to create lava! This can happen when the kiln is set to a temperature too high for the type of clay inside, and the clay liquifies rather than hardens. Unsurprisingly, students are always disappointed to learn that we cannot create this experiment at school because it will destroy the kiln.

Here at Westlawn we use low-fire clay that hardens at about 1850 degrees Fahrenheit. This type of clay is good for elementary students because it is softer and takes less strength to shape into the various projects that students complete. It also comes with a prescribed set of glazes since glazes, like clay, have different firing temperatures under which they perform most brilliantly. Traditionally the available glazes for low-fire clay have been bright and bold, but unable to blend and mix together like their high-fire cousins. However, due to changes in glaze technology, this year Mr. Stuebner and Ms. Terrell were able to procure some brand-new low-fire glazes that perform similarly to the high-fire ones. We can’t wait to see the results!

If you or your student are interested in learning more about ceramics, we recommend the following opportunities:

• Borrow Ceramics for Kids: Creative Clay Projects to Pinch, Roll, Coil, Slam, and Twist by Mary Ellis from our Westlawn library.
• Visit a Fairfax County Public Library for any number of ceramics books for both adults and children. At Westlawn our art teachers frequently consult The Ceramics Bible: The Complete Guide to Materials and Techniques by Louisa Taylor, of which there are currently five available to borrow from the Fairfax County Public Library system.
• Tour the Washington National Cathedral to view their impressive and creative collection of gargoyles. There are both self-guided and traditional tours available.