I admit it ... art festivals are good for my ego. I mean, I spend most of my work hours alone in a shadowy basement making pots. At shows, I get heaped with positive feedback, and these shows serve as a gathering place where I can stay in touch with my friends. Making money doesn't hurt either.
But do you want to know what causes a far more massive ego trip? Watching my students succeed at an art festival. This past weekend was the Festival of Lights at the Greenbelt Community Center, which is where I teach my pottery classes. Five of my students and I had a booth, and it was gangbusters! Near the end, the expression on their faces was a combination of delirium and shock. And I thought I might explode with pride.
Let me clarify ... these students are from my Advanced Wheel class, and their work is not what you'd typically expect of "student pottery." Not just anyone can sign up for this class, the center lets me decide who's ready. We tackle some heady issues, both technical and aesthetic. They are charged with developing a personal body of work. As you can see in the photo above, their work reflects an awful lot of skill and thought and practice. And for those who are interested, we discuss professional issues too, such as selling at an art festival.
But do you want to know what causes a far more massive ego trip? Watching my students succeed at an art festival. This past weekend was the Festival of Lights at the Greenbelt Community Center, which is where I teach my pottery classes. Five of my students and I had a booth, and it was gangbusters! Near the end, the expression on their faces was a combination of delirium and shock. And I thought I might explode with pride.
Let me clarify ... these students are from my Advanced Wheel class, and their work is not what you'd typically expect of "student pottery." Not just anyone can sign up for this class, the center lets me decide who's ready. We tackle some heady issues, both technical and aesthetic. They are charged with developing a personal body of work. As you can see in the photo above, their work reflects an awful lot of skill and thought and practice. And for those who are interested, we discuss professional issues too, such as selling at an art festival.
In the photo above, Karen Arrington and Amy Castner smoothly handle customers amongst our dwindling number of pots. The other potters who participated were Karen Morgenstern, Kori Rice, and Karen Riedlinger. And the photo on the left shows how much smaller our display was on the second day. And our sales staff got smaller too (that's Kori's son Dexter).
For now, we should just celebrate. But I know some of them are already analyzing their results and thinking about next year. They grow up so fast (sniff).
For now, we should just celebrate. But I know some of them are already analyzing their results and thinking about next year. They grow up so fast (sniff).
RSS Feed
