Amid the tumult of X-block, a group of creative minds meets to use their hands and imaginations to create sculptures out of clay.
The Ceramics Club aims to provide a collaborative and stress-free setting for students who want to participate in the art of ceramics and be active in their community, according to the club’s leaders.
Every other week, students gather in room UA 20 to work on an assigned ceramics project. They also spend this time planning for fundraising or other community events.
Sophomores Liela Shelat and Violet Linas founded the club this year. They said they aspired to make an organized group where anyone interested has an opportunity to create art.
“We hope that it can be a good environment to be in. Something not too serious,” Linas said.
Every few weeks, Shelat and Linas decide on a new ceramics project that is suitable for all the club members and their different abilities. Their next project, inspired by the fall season, will be mini pumpkins made of air-dry clay.
The leaders said they strive to promote creativity and a willingness to push the boundaries of their ceramic works.
“I like that there’s not really a limit, and you can always improve,” Shelat said. “I think it’s fun that you can always grow and learn.”
Art teacher and Ceramics Club advisor Jessica Jiao said she has similar goals for club members. She said she hopes students find joy in collaborating and connecting through the process of creating art.
“I hope my students are able to gain confidence in their creative abilities and discover how rewarding it is seeing their ideas from their imagination coming true,” Jiao said. “The club also encourages community building, in which students can share their ideas with each other, learn from each other and work together.”
In addition to making ceramics, the club seeks to support people in need. They donate some of their pieces and raise money for various local organizations through fundraising events, Linas said.
“We hope that the club will grow and also [have] an impact on other people,” Linas said. “One of our goals is to make vases or bowls and then donate them to either food pantries or for flowers and bring them to a children’s hospital.”
Jiao said the club aims to use its pieces and proceeds to spread the benefits of art and help the community.
“We’ll be able to use those funds we made to promote art as a therapy [and] art as a safe space,” Jiao said.
Jiao said members improve their skills in ceramics and learn relevant lessons that extend beyond the classroom.
“I always want them to find joy in the process, learning that art doesn’t always have to be about perfection, because lots of us nowadays are worried if it’s perfect or not,” Jiao said. “It is really about experience–experience with who they are, who they want to be, and know what they like to make, and really connect with each other through the art-making process.”
