Teaching Pottery --- Both Ends of the Spectrum

There is something special when the fires of ceramic creativity and the fire to teach and share your knowledge come together for a person. I've lately come across two such individuals: high school senior Brandon Mitchell, and retiring art professor Bunny McBride.

Mitchell plans on studying to be an art teacher, like Chrissie Saunders, his current art teacher who is encouraging his clay creativity to take wing... literally. (Mitchell and his friend David Tobin are busy building a 62-inch dragon, complete with wings.) His enthusiasm and vision is already at work, sparking other students' interest in pottery and ceramics, boding well for an upcoming career as an art teacher.

McBride is on the other end of the spectrum. He has been working in clay for more than 45 years, and teaching art and ceramics at the college level since 1970. His love of the medium and craft has left a rich legacy both in his own creative work and in the lives of other artists. A retrospective show of his work, inspirations, and legacy is now open today through December 5th at the AKAR Gallery in Iowa City, IA.

Pottery and clay are nearly limitless in what you can do with them. As McBride said, "That's what keeps me in ceramics. You have the latitude to do anything. Throwing is only one tool." What a joy to both create and share the skills of that creation through teaching others!