[Clayart] clay as toxic

[Antoinette Badenhorst]

 Mel, all you described died the first time when the industrial revolution came around and then artists pushed back and the arts thrived again. This is just another phase we go through, but that does not mean we should sit on our hands! 

We should push back. And yes, we get tired of that, but our passion stays alive and as long as I have little 7 year old twins and other grand babies that are very excited every time they get to Ouma’s studio, the world is hunky dory!  

TeachinArt, our online school grows slowly, but we teach the real thing with some of the finest in the field and we truly believe that we are filling gaps in the industry.  Hopefully it may help to preserve at least a part of the whole clay industry. 

There are other highlights: the clay TV program in Europe (I cannot remember the name, but I believe it is available on YouTube)and Tony Ferguson is looking into a clay program for Netflix. If you have not watched “Blown Away”, a glass blowing program on Netfix yet, it is worth your time. 
I say again: it is a phase and knowledge will pull it through. Those of you that have not checked TeachinArt out yet, you have an open invitation. Come see what we do and support artists like Connie Christensen, Nan Rothwell, Paul Lewing and a few others. We are adding at least. 2 classes every year. 
Best wishes,
Antoinette Badenhorst
www.porcelainbyAntoinette.com
www.TeachinArt.com


> On Aug 21, 2019, at 6:30 PM, mel jacobson <melpots at mail.com> wrote:
> 
> editorial:
> i really have nothing more to say.  i have been screaming my
> lungs out for twenty years....`they, they are going to turn the worlds
> oldest craft into a toxic waste land.  they will take it away from children
> and claim protection.`  in fact, the fight is over.  when that last dean
> at a college got wet clay on his Armani suit and saw the sculptures of
> vaginas and penis` he decided the clay program had to go.
> so, toxic materials got them.  who cares if they hurt no one.
> he is in charge.  but, the clay program got its day of metaphoric art.
> and lost their jobs.  not a good trade.
> 
> when the last wheels were taken out at some of our best schools, our best
> programs...when ken ferguson died....and kansas city became a waste land...
> it was over.  when 80 percent of the art faculty was adjunct...the clay program died.
> 
> when the wheels were taken out of the warren mackenzie memorial art center
> at the U of Minnesota...it died.
> 
> when i saw the 6 foot painting at collen's senior show with the words
> `eat shit` in 15 inch letters...it died.
> 
> when all the industrial arts machines were hauled out at hopkins high...replaced
> with advance spanish...it died. what was there for kids that do who do not read well, but
> have brilliance????  nothing.
> 
> it was a joy to work with the tech from comcast that came to my home yesterday
> in a pouring rain to fix our wifi.  his dad was a machinist, from a small town
> north...he went to vo tech...learned electricity...now is a master repair tech
> for comcast. great job, no debt. he loved the mug i gave him...was awed by the
> electric kilns..then he saw the big gas...he said...`how in the hell did you learn
> all this??? mel said ` like you, i needed to go to the best tech school in the world,
> went to japan and became a potter...full of knowledge, then studied the rest of
> my life...every day`....he just smiled.
> mel
> 
> 
> 
> website: www.melpots.com
>