Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60art classes are more than full—usually with 18-20 students per class. And the ceramics classes are booming across the grade levels. In lower school, students can take ceramics after-school as an interest class. There are also summer camps and a Winter Term full day course. In middle school, ceramics is part of the regular arts rotation. In the upper school, class sizes are limited by the number of potter’s wheels, but are regularly full. Students are now taking the Ceramics I class as freshmen, so there are more opportunities for Upper School students to continue their exploration of the art of ceramics throughout their four high school years. Students can also take Ceramics II, AP Ceramics, and can even continue with independent studies. This year, middle school earth science teacher Tim Martin has picked up the teaching of the Ceramics I class. His interest in the chemistry of glazes and the management of the high temperatures needed to produce different styles of pottery will help students further explore the scientific side of the ceramics process. The process of creating ceramics is fascinating—it is a trial and error The arts are thriving at Greensboro Day! How much do you know about our amazing fine arts programs? There is a gem in the fine arts—our college-level ceramics program, led by 29-year GDS veteran Kim Burroughs. Kim originally planned to teach at the college level after graduating with his MFA from UNC-Greensboro in the 1980’s. To pursue a college career, however, would have meant that he would have to move around the country. Since at the time his family was young and he didn’t want to uproot them, he started taking teaching jobs in the Greensboro area. Kim came to GDS in 1988 after realizing that GDS provided the supportive and growth minded environment where he could shape and develop a program. His initial mentors in the Art Department, Sue Seagraves and Lynn Noecker, were very supportive not only of his vision but also his desire to continue as a working artist. The ceramics program began with middle school classes in a McMillion Building storage closet, without heat and with only 2 potter’s wheels. Over time, parents brought in a horse barn heater to heat the room, and the Parents’ Association provided more potter’s wheels. When Lynn Noecker moved to the Lower School to teach elementary art, Kim moved into her classroom. Through various remodels and transitions, Kim’s classroom space has expanded to a larger ceramics room with 11 potter’s wheels and a middle school art class room. His middle school GEMS OF THE Students then mold, cast or throw (the process of creating a piece on the potter’s wheel) their pieces to create them. Students learn to create plates, bowls, vases, cups, handles, etc. Some students also experiment with sculptural pieces and various shapes. Once the piece is created and dries, it is glazed. The process of creating a glaze and anticipating how it will turn out is a very scientific process. Various glazes produce different colors and effects. Burroughs has discovered that it is much more cost effective to mix his own glazes rather than purchasing pre-mixed ones. He mixes multiple types of glazes to fit the type of projects his students are working on, and puts them in different buckets for the different processes they will undergo. The different buckets are for the different types of kiln firings. Students also experiment with different glazing techniques such as mocha slip, bubble glazing, horsehair, and cracking. There is also a ferric chloride technique where materials are put on the pieces to create a stenciled effect. At Greensboro Day, there are three kilns—a low-temperature (1400-1500 degrees F) electric Raku kiln, a larger electric kiln, and now, a truly unique outdoor wood fired kiln, known as a Manabigama kiln. The Raku process fires the piece at a low temperature, which is taken out while it is still hot, and wrapped and “smoked” in organic material. This process allows for some very interesting patterns, textures and colors to be created. An electric kiln creates a dependable temperature process, and is as easy as setting a computer program, leaving it to fire on its own, and coming back to collect the cooled fired pieces. The wood fired kiln allows for much more artful experimentation and is a much more labor intensive, trial and error process. Yet, to make a cooking analogy, it is the difference between cooking in the microwave and doing a full on slow cooked meal from scratch. Students really get hands-on involvement of seeing how pottery has been created for centuries, and physically do the work of prepping and firing the kiln. Every firing can be different, with different results. Students learn from each firing, and it is a scientific as well as a creative process. process throughout. Like all arts, students learn to hypothesize, create, adapt and make mistakes as they go. In fact, mistakes are integral to the process of learning how to create beautiful ceramics pieces! The process begins with clay mixing—Burroughs regularly spends hours each week mixing and prepping the clay for his classes. The Parents’ Association once again helped grow this program with providing a clay mixer and a pug mill. The mixer takes a watery clay mix known as “slip” and kneads it until it is a good working texture. The clay is then transferred to the pug mill, which removes any air bubbles and expels the clay in a tube shape. (Air bubbles would cause the pieces to explode in the high heat of the kiln.) These clay tubes are then covered in plastic and stored until needed for classes. Burroughs works with both red clay and white porcelain clay in his classes. Fine Arts BY RUTHIE TUTTEROW 1 3 28 | Winter 2017 GDS Magazine | 29