This summer, 4 sophomores, 2 juniors, and 2 seniors participated in a Summer Ceramics program taught by San Miguel's talented art instructor, Ms. Melissa Schwindenhammer. The class was held in the art room on campus which, thanks to a generous grant Ms. Schwindenhammer received to start ceramics at San Miguel in 2019, is fully equipped with necessary ceramics tools. The newest acquisition is a kiln where students can fire their glazed work.
During Summer Ceramics, students studied hand-building techniques, treating each one as a unit with its own project. Students made pumpkins out of pinch pots, bells out of coils (with beads!), and boxes with slab construction. For the final project, students had three hours to create a vessel using one or more of the techniques that they learned.
"We quickly established community studio norms and procedures that kept the space humming with productivity and creativity. Teaching ceramics, in general, is so enjoyable because projects can be so flexible with students' ideas and skills. It is very exploratory and allows students to make decorative and/or functional art. I notice there is so much delight in creating something they envision using," said Ms. Schwindenhammer.
In addition to building vessels and relationships with one another, students were also able to connect with San Miguel alum, Jose Velarde, who took a ceramic's course at St. Mary's. Velarde came into class to demonstrate wheel throwing and to work alongside students as they created their projects.
Although the ceramic process can be challenging and unpredictable (there's a saying among potters - "Don't fall in love with your piece until it comes out of the glaze fire!"), students produced incredible work and learned how to document their creative process along the way, in case anything should go wrong.
"Things can happen, and so as an artist, you have to be mindful of your choices," said Ms. Schwindenhammer. "There were some losses, but with that learning.
Ms. Schwindenhammer would like to continue offering ceramics as a class and as a summer program in the future.
"Being able to offer specialty courses during the summer is very important to me and rewarding for everyone involved. It's a group of creative and motivated students eager to dig deeper into a single medium!" she said. | 
