Happy Halloween

Despite the fantastic holiday, the only excitement of the day was for the daughter of our dorm head (who is adorable) coming around in a lady bug costume to trick-or-treat for the day. Evidently, all the other craziness happened the night before I came at the Halloween dance that they hosted. Along with this, today was marked by simultaneous soccer games of boys and girls in the championship for Putney, with both of our teams winning and making it on to the next level. The only downside of this was the very brisk weather, and my lack of warm enough clothing, making a trip to the KDU (their cafeteria) necessary to warm up with some hot tea.

However, today I will still talk about one of my favorite classes, ceramics. The teacher is slightly eccentric, but still, working with clay is amazing. So far, I've made a three chamber pinch pot, a coil pot on a form so that the coils formed a pattern on the inside, and today I started work on a slab peace that I shape over a form, and will be making to look like a flower. The downside to this is the fact that I will probably not be here to fire my pieces, making it necessary for me to glaze them, have them fired, and then get someone else to send them home, or else do without. Next week, the plan is to team up with the African History class and learn about African masks before creating them.

Although the sheer enjoyment of doing ceramics is enjoyable, the program itself is wonderful as well. Many of the students come into the studio with their own free time in order to do independent projects, and the teacher assists them in any way possible. Many of the students sport handmade mugs (from friends or through their own work) at breakfast, and there was even a boy working with porcelain to make a bowl today. This freedom of access to arts and materials is typical of Putney, and no one abuses it through wasting supplies or trashing studios because everyone enjoys the arts and also feels a responsibility for their school. This is true whether they are using one of the multiple looms available and the scads of yarn, or the printing presses available in one of the other buildings. It is this appreciation of art and creativity that lends such a special, appreciative community to Putney. I have seen this in many of my classes, where they often try to integrate art even in academics, and I look forward to seeing it this weekend when the students put on a coffee house.