Ceramics

Those volunteers who are not placed in the schools in their villages are
encouraged to get involved with after school programs and health
presentations for the students. Something unbelievable, like 70% of
Botswana’s population, is youth (a lot of adults have died from AIDS). They
are also the most influential group. My interest lies in studio art. Even
though Lucas is placed at Lempu Junior Secondary School, I visited the art
teacher, Mr Mosela. I noticed there were two potter’s wheels that were not
being used. When I asked Mr. Mosela why he did not teach his students how
to throw ceramics on the wheel, he explained that the wheels were not
working and that he had learned how to throw ceramics on the potter’s wheel
in college but was not very good. I have studied ceramics for 7 years under
three instructors so I thought I would give teaching a try.
       After Mr Mosela knew I was interested in teaching ceramics to his
students, he ordered ceramic tools and a better clay than what they had
been using. The issue was that they didn’t have an official kiln. The way
that clay works is that each element that makes up the clay requires a
certain temperature to fire completely. If the kiln reaches only a certain
heat, some clays cannot be fired. In that case you mix in elements with a
lower fire temperature. The kiln at the junior secondary school is
essentially cow dung set on fire inside a metal trash bin. Once I teach the
students how to throw pottery on the wheel, Mr Mosela offered to take the
pieces to Takatokwane (a nearby village) to be fired at the junior
secondary school there, which does have a kiln.
       Lucas is a pretty handy man so I called on him to help me fix the
wheels. One wheel is electric and the other is manual kick (which is good
for those students who are left handed). Now that we had the tools, the
clay, and the wheels, we were ready to start. I took a handful of students
to wedge the clay and get it prepared for throwing. They have experience
making hand-built pottery and bust forms so they were not starting from
scratch.
        I started off showing them how to center the clay on the wheel by
keeping an elbow pressed into my side. Oh, by the way, teaching on a kick
wheel in a skirt is NOT easy. Once I started pulling the clay up to make a
cup they got really excited. In fact some students were leaning on my back
to get a closer look over my shoulder. Again, not easy. I tried talking
loud and slow so they could understand me. My studies of Setswana never
covered teaching ceramics. After I showed a few cups, it was their turn (I
finished the lesson by cutting my cups in half to show the evenness of the
clay throughout the piece; they were appalled I wrecked my pottery).
       A boy hopped up on the wheel to give it a try. As soon as he
starts, his classmates decide they are all experts and tell him what all he
is doing wrong. I felt so bad for him being subject of criticism because he
tried first. But in the end he made a container. It wasn’t very impressive
as no one’s first attempt is. But he wanted to keep it regardless.
       Next lesson: carving the bottom.
Eventually I get into making handles, bowls, and maybe even lidded pots.
       Another issue besides Lempu not having a kiln is glaze. Pottery is
more useful if it can be eaten out of. It’s not safe to eat from pottery
unless it has a glaze. I know glazes can be made from natural materials,
but I don’t remember how. If anyone knows how to make glazes I would be
very interested. Also, I am interested in helping the art program build a
kiln made from a hole in the ground and again natural materials for fuel. I
believe it is the raku kiln. If anyone has kiln-building resources to share
with me, the students of Lempu art class would be very thankful…