Empty Bowls Clay Project

Waitsfield students are in the midst of a fabulous Artist Residency with local potter Leslie Montalto.  All students, pre-K to grade 6 have worked with Leslie to make three types of bowls.  The first bowl is a simple pinch pot. The second is a slab bowl with printed texture. The third (and most students' favorite) is a bowl on the wheel. 

In addition to working with Leslie in the art classroom, students also spent a day making site visits to other potters' studios or working on specific clay projects.  The various activities included:

• Building a "pit fire" kiln at Leslie's house
• Learning about the Raku process with "The Naked Potter" Luke Iannuzzi
• Visit to Noel Bailey's pottery studio
• Working on pottery wheels at Montpelier Mud Studio
• Building clay bells with Katie Babic
• Hand-building pocket planters with potter Bobbie Platt (and me!)

EMPTY BOWLS PROJECT

For our 2010 arts residency, we had two local potters, Leslie Montalto and Loretta Languett, visit our school.  They spent three weeks working with all students to make bowls on the potter's wheel and by hand-building.  The bowls will be used for our school's Empty Bowls dinner, which is a fundraiser for anti-hunger organizations in Vermont. 

Leslie works with students on the potter's wheel.

Leslie demonstrates how to make a slab bowl out of clay.

Wanda rolls out her clay.

Loretta helps Jonathan add texture to his slab bowl.

Getting our hands dirty!