Free Clay Art Center program teaches PCSD students about the culture of ceramics
November 7, 2024 at 12:10 a.m.
Seven pairs of hands were starting to get lightly caked with clay as students’ visions began to take form.
The Port Chester High School students working in the main classroom at the Clay Art Center on Tuesday, Oct. 29, were given a simple, yet loaded, task—create something of significance.
“We’re working on effigy vessels,” said their instructor, visual artist Susana Valera Read. “I gave them an open idea, that they could do whatever they want, whether it’s an animal or a character. But I want them to think about creating something that tells me something about themselves.”
Over and over, Port Chester High School senior Madeline Molina pats her clay down to turn it into a flat disc, which she’ll use to design a face.By Sarah Wolpoff
Since 2011, the Clay Art Center has been offering a free afterschool program for Port Chester Schools students. Through “Around the World in Clay,” pupils are introduced to different ceramics techniques and traditions from across the globe while learning to home in on their own artistic skills, said Brian Barry, the nonprofit’s program manager.
The program runs for three sessions a year—10 weeks in the fall, winter and spring. The three cohorts, divided by age, meet once a week at the center. This fall, middle schoolers meet on Mondays, high schoolers go on Tuesdays and elementary-aged children attend Wednesday sessions.
“Our capacity is 12 students per class,” Barry said. “Every class except our high school class is full. Right now, I have five seats open for that one. It’s harder for them to commit, because they have a lot of extracurriculars—clubs, band or sports.
“I just want to make sure everyone knows that we’re here,” he continued. “It is a challenge with high school students to get here because of their commitments, but I don’t want it to be a challenge to get them here because they don’t know we exist.”
The Clay Art Center is still accepting applications to fill seats available in the program. Go to clayartcenter.org and click the “community arts” tab to sign up. The current session runs through mid-December.
While chatting with friends in the Clay Art Center’s main classroom, Port Chester High School junior Luis Diaz smiles as he shapes a ball of clay into a bowl-like object.By Sarah Wolpoff
“Around the World in Clay” is part of the center’s community arts programming initiative. Along with their free, on-site program, they also provide adult workshops and participate regularly in the Carver Center’s afterschool program at the Port Chester elementary schools.
Consistent grants from the Common Sense Fund, ArtsWestchester, Westchester County and the New York State Council for the Arts—as well as others—have also allowed the Clay Art Center to offer high schoolers paid assistantships, said Executive Director Emily Peck.
“We’ve been in Port Chester since 1957; we’re very loyal to Port Chester,” she said, describing their arts programming as being rooted in community investment. “We started as an artist studio and became a nonprofit in 2007 with the goal of being able to better serve the community. So that connection is a huge part of what we do.”
Valera Read, who instructs the middle and high school sessions, said she aims to educate students on the cultural significance of their projects without overwhelming them. She wants to leave room for creativity so they’ll be able to connect with the meaning behind the pieces personally.
Throughout the term, students create seven or eight projects to take home, Barry said. Every session starts with a demonstration from their teacher and some backstory about why they’re working on the project. Then, it’s completely hands on.
Work created by Port Chester Middle School students waits to be finished when the young artists return. The pieces were inspired by Japanese Haniwa, hollow sculptures that are traditionally placed at burial sites.By Sarah Wolpoff
High schoolers recently worked on two-piece effigy vessels, inspired by ancient and contemporary pieces from Colombia and Egypt. In the same weeks, the middle school cohort was working on their Haniwas—hollow, cylindrical Japanese sculptures depicting figures that are commonly placed at burial sites for protection.
Peck said at the end of the season, the Clay Art Center hosts a showcase for all students—adults and youth—involved in their community arts programming.
“In January, we’ll have everybody’s stuff here in our gallery. Some of the pieces they’re working on now may be in that,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun because you can see what people have made from all different levels. We invite our students and families to come check it out on a Saturday, and it’s a really nice time.”
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