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Student Name: Emily K
Grade: 12
Title: Still Here
Description: I constructed this head using a wooden stand with a masking-tape-wrapped newspaper ball at the end. I covered the ball with terra cotta clay, mapped out some rough features, and then cut the head in half and took the newspaper out of the center. I carved the excess clay from the inside of the two halves, before reattaching them via slipping and scoring. At this point I also constructed a neck with smoothed coils, and attached the head to the neck. I then began to work on the more detailed features, such as the hair and the headscarf. I chose to use terra sigillata on "Still Here" because I had limited time, and I felt like this piece deserved a very meticulous style of glazing, which I was not able to provide due to Covid 19 surge sending us into remote learning. I decided to use terra sigillata because it lets a piece appear 'finished' without detracting from the structural elements. I was inspired to create Still Here after reading Beloved by Toni Morrison. I wanted to explore the idea of the past interrupting the present in a sculptural piece, so I decided to create a black woman who could be living in any time period, but who bore the past clearly on her countenance. In Still Here, I wanted to portray the idea of the past influencing the present, not necessarily her past specifically, but rather to the violent and unjust past of people of color as a whole.
Dimensions: (L)6 x (W)5 x (H)8 (Inches)
Weight: 4 Lbs.
School: Solebury School - New Hope, PA
Teacher: Erika Fairchild
Exhibition: The 24th Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition, Virtual This Year


Recognition
No awards given
Additional Work Info
Clay Vendor: Laguna, Miller 20G
Wheel Vendor: Other
Tool Vendor: Other
Glaze Vendor: Other
Kiln Vendor: L&L Kilns
Firing Temp: Low Fire
Atmosphere: Oxidation
Cone Number:
Entry Photos