One of my students requests a bag of clay from me each year to use in her 3rd grade classroom in an under-served community for a chance to experience clay. Most of these students have never touched clay before. She shows them videos, gives them basic instructions on attaching pieces and the thickness requirements and then lets them get to work creating. This year I got a handwritten thank you note from each student, the general correspondence goes something like this:
Dear Jenni Ward,
Thank you for donating clay to our class. The clay felt squishy. I made a pot. I painted my art red, blue, purple and black. What I liked most was how the clay felt. I am going to give my art to my mom and dad.
Sincerely,
Student
These notes are so adorable and heartwarming but my favorite part is that they drew pictures on the back of them making their pieces or of me or of what they thought my studio and kiln looked like even though we haven’t met and they haven’t been to my studio. I love that an experience so small but so special can bring out so much creativity in each student. Clay donations are funded by the sale of Art Hearts which support philanthropic art projects locally and abroad. Enjoy their drawings…
