My students are bursting with creative energy and are always looking for opportunities to express themselves through art. Family Pottery Night gives students an opportunity to showcase their creativity and share it with their families! They come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences in our urban district, and many come from homes where they don't have access to basic art supplies.
Our students and families speak many different languages and have varying degrees of English proficiency, but art is a universal language, and through art, families can create and communicate together!.
I have offered Family Pottery Night every year, as a way for families to come to school with their children and spend an evening creating sculptures!
My Project
I have been hosting a Family Pottery Night at my school for the past 20 years. Every year it is a very well attended event! I charge a small fee for materials, but the 3$ doesn't cover the cost of all materials. I would love to continue to make this event accessible to all our families by supplementing our materials.
Every year, our cafeteria is filled with families, their hands, big and small, covered with clay, as they create unique sculptures.
As families enter, they are given a folder with general information and bags of clay. After getting their supplies, families look at example artworks and can gather simple direction sheets, cookie cutters, rollers, sponges and tools. They set up their supplies and get to work!
After creating their sculptures, families set them to dry, before being fired. I fire all the work over the following weeks and then families return to glaze their art work at session two. When sculptures are glazed, I fire them again, then the masterpieces are carefully wrapped and sent home!
During Family Pottery Night, children teach their parents what they know about working with clay. Parents are able to work in a relaxed environment with their kids while sitting next to other families creating art!
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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