Great Inservice Opportunity in the TN area

You've heard me preach about "The Clay Lady Way" of teaching clay. Now here is your chance to learn from (in my opinion) one of the best. My good friend and fabulous teacher Danielle McDaniel is offering a 

How to Teach Clay the Clay Lady way workshop in Nashville, TN

here are the details:

After 15 years of countless How To Teach Clay...The Clay Lady Way teacher inservices, I can say this with certainty - the information I teach is still current, relevant and useful to art teachers on every level.  I can also share with you that to increase my enjoyment of teaching this same information, I plan to add on different information and shake up the curriculum this year!  So before you say - been there, done that!- look below for the current offerings for 2011!

 

How To Teach Clay...The Clay Lady Way teacher inservice Saturday, October 1st, 8:00-4:30 to be held at The Clay Lady's Studio, Artist Co-op and Galleries ~The Educational Facility at Mid-South Ceramics in Nashville, TN.

Fee is the same as past years - $150  (or $100 for returning teachers).

• Learn The Clay Lady Way:  make and decorate successful clay projects in one-sitting with a single firing to complete.
• Tour our manufacturing warehouse and learn about raw materials and how they are mixed to make products. Learn the difference between low-fire, mid-fire and high fire supplies.
• Enjoy a hands-on clay Clay Lady Workshop to experience The Clay Lady Way as you use our products to make projects.
• Tour and enjoy visiting with several of my 20 artists in residence and see how making projects can turn into a profession at The Clay Lady's Artist Co-op and Galleries.
• See a project demo and learn how to design your own projects.
• Learn my 8 week curriculum, my clay camp curriculum, my K-12 project curriculum that works with your county's curriculum , my teen/adult handbuilding and sculpture lesson, class management techniques and hands-on kids wheel lesson.
• Learn about kilns:  how to load and to program for no-explosion firings!
• Enjoy us providing your apron, your lunch, your certification for inservice hours and your enlightening day!

Feel free to forward this email to all your art teacher contacts - I heavily rely on your goodwill and good reviews!

 

Contact me in any way that works best for you and I will get your name on the list for this year's inservice.  I am limiting the amount of registrations to increase personal interaction and provide plenty of time for questions and diversions from the schedule!  It's going to be a good time!

 

 

Be An Artist in Everything You Do!

 

Danielle McDaniel~The Clay Lady

The Clay Lady's Studio, Artist Co-op and Galleries

~The Educational Facility at Mid-South Ceramic Supply

1416 Lebanon Pike, Bldg C

Nashville, TN  37210

 

phone 615-242-0346

fax 615-244-3191

email danielle@theclaylady.com

www.facebook.com/danielle.theclaylady.

www.theclaylady.com

www.midsouthceramics.com

Clay Lady Documentary

Fundraiser II

   I am lucky to be at such a great school that has a nice art budget, but it is always nice to do a little fundraising to take your art program to the next level. I always plan for two fundraisers a year. Fall Festival clay pinch pots and the art show. This post is going to be all about Fall Festival.
   At the end of last year I had a lot of extra clay in a bag or two which equaled to about 25lbs give or take... Fall Festival was just around the corner and I had an idea. Take the extra clay and have kids make them into small pinch pots for fall festival! As you would recall my last post about The Clay Lady and her make and paint all in one seating program. I would use this same program for Fall Festival. Here's how I did it:


1. Ask for some help! I have asked teacher friends who didn't have a booth and my husband to help out. Even parent volunteers.


2. Roll extra clay into small fist sized balls. (I don't have to wedge my clay because I use the clay lady method of firing that insures no blow ups) Keep in closed bag with damp cloth during festival.


3. Arrange your classroom for Stations. I do a kinda L shape
Here is how the order goes:
  A. Paying station: tickets or cash (teacher friend Kristina with clay examples)

  B. Making station: show how to make the pot, put name & grade on bottom of pot, place on a small paper plate with grade 

  C. painting station: I have warm colors on one table & cool on another.

  D. Drying station: Clay drying rack

  E. Sink for washing hands (notice I placed the drying rack next to the sinks!)


4. When all my leftover clay is gone.. It's over! I have older students come and help wipe down my tables and rearrange my room. 


With the Clay Lady Way firing I have the clay pots dry to bone dry at least a week. Dip in Clay Lady glaze. Fire in the kiln one time but it's a two day fire process. I put the pots into the kiln by grades so if they don't all fit at once I can at least get a few grades done. When all pots are finished I will make announcements at the end of the day for students to come down by grades to pick up. 


Was it worth it? YES! HUGE SUCCESS! 96 clay pots made! I made enough to pay for way more than what the one 25lb bag of clay costs and 1/4 of each color of my clay paints were actually used. I also bought one package of small paper plates for $2.96. The longest process was rearranging my tables so that parents and students wouldn't just wander around the room. 

Thank you Clay Lady!

I am so grateful for the generous donation of all our clay supplies by Danielle McDaniel "The Clay Lady"

The Clay Lady adopts a school each year. Normally we only have enough money in our budget for a few grades to do clay. The students were so excited to hear that they would all get to do CLAY!! 

Here is why "I teach clay The Clay Lady way!"

The projects are made and decorated in one sitting. There is only one firing per project load. After only air-drying the project, you can glaze and do just one firing to complete, enabling you a 7-10 day turn-around on projects. The Clay Lady Way® of firing guarantees no blow-ups! 

http://www.theclaylady.com/products_info.html

Check out The Clay Lady for yourself. 

Made in one class and being painted with Clay Lady Clay Paints

You can also make in one class, cover in plastic and then continue another day.

Air dried projects.

Glazed and fired one time!! No blow ups!

(these pics are from my cell phone. Sorry for the quality.)

Clay Stuff

As a 1st year teacher I was scared to start my clay lessons. I worked with clay in High School, at college, and have even worked a weekend job with "The Clay Lady". But I had never fired in the Kiln by my self. 

I have found that Danielle McDaniel's "How to teach clay the Clay Lady way" of teaching suited me perfectly.

"The Clay Lady Way enables your artist to make and decorate in one sitting thus completing the project in one class." - D.M. And for my firing worries, "the biggest advantage to the Clay Lady Way ~ there is only one firing per project load, thus enabling a 7-10 day turn-around on projects. The Clay Lady Way of firing guarantees no blow-ups!"

Check it out for yourself! A teacher in-service is also offered once a year in September!

www.theclaylady.com

4th grade fish

3rd grade fish 

 

4th grade fish

3rd grade "Art Enrichment" Giraffe mask

 This is a picture of 5th grade turtles after the "one time firing method". Now don't worry, the little pieces you see in the kiln are legs that a few students accidentally broke off of their turtles before firing. I fired the legs anyway and I glued them on with E6000!!

Clay Lady Fun

On the last Friday of July the women of my family, future in-laws, and close friends had a little bridal party with "The Clay Lady"! Only two of us had previous experience on the potter's wheel. It was so much fun to see everyone experience something new.

Danielle McDaniel is known as "The Clay Lady". Perhaps many of you have heard of her. If not please allow me to direct you to www.theclaylady.com and see for yourself. She is truly a  gift to the Art Education world. I use her teaching techniques and clay supplies for all my clay projects.

We had so much fun laughing and creating beautiful pots. The best part of the night was watching the faces of those who had never thrown on the wheel before. It was wonderful for me to share one of my joys with my family and friends and to have them step into my world of art.

This is my Grandmother and I with all the pots everyone created!! Can't wait to see them after firing! 

And please notice that these pots were made and painted (glazed) in one sitting! Like I said, go to www.theclaylady.com and see for yourself!