1st graders enjoy their ceramics residency with teaching artists Gaia Starr & Peter Barnett. Photo: Misun Jin.

A student uses ceramic tools to refine her coil bowl in the residency with teaching artists Beth Krebs & Nicoleta Coman. Photo: Misun Jin

For the 3rd year at PS 277K in Gerritsen Beach, 1st graders are learning to create sculptures with clay and use ceramics tools. Students have been happily getting their hands messy during after-school residencies this spring with teaching artists Beth Krebs, Nicoleta Coman, Peter Barnett and Gaia Starr. They have built sculptures using various techniques including pinching, coiling, slab construction, slip and score, molding, relief, and additive and subtractive methods.

Our teaching artists integrated social studies into the program, focusing thematically on community and prompting students to create artworks based on concepts they’re learning in social studies class. Students also put their literacy skills to use writing artist statements.