Makayla Bogle
Staff Writer
Sandy High School has a wide range of art classes such as graphic design courses and studio art classes that focus on plenty of different art styles. In the past, SHS’s art production program also had a ceramics class.
The ceramics class is no longer in session and has not been for a couple years. But students’ creations adorn the main hallway, and remind students of the course. A common misconception about the art program is that ceramics is no longer offered at Sandy since the class is gone, however, that is not completely true. Studio art, a yearlong class with three different levels, has replaced the ceramics class.
Ceramics has been integrated into studio art, as well as many other forms of art. Instead of focusing solely on ceramics, students get to learn other forms of art that they could turn into careers later on in the future.
“We started with pottery on the wheel this year and we developed some skills there, and then we just recently started branching out into working on jewelry so that we can get some skills in other materials and mediums,” senior Isaac Ginther said.
Students still do get to work with clay in studio art production courses, however it is not the sole purpose of the class.
“The reason that ceramics is not solely focused on ceramics anymore is because the school wanted to give students more experience with more tools and materials. This is because the likelihood of having access to ceramics outside of high school may be unlikely for some,” studio art production teacher Maryn Wright said.
Working with clay is not the cheapest hobby, or occupation. It is time consuming, and for quality work, ceramics require many expensive tools. In the first year in studio art production, students get to experience both hand building and wheel throwing, however work with the wheel is not frequently done until the later years of the class.
“The goal with studio art production is to give students experience in many forms of art for them to turn into something outside of high school. We also focus on giving and receiving feedback, because that is something that students in the art industry will heavily experience later on in life,” Wright said.
Studio art production is a course for introducing different art forms to students so that they can pick and choose what they like. Some may disagree, however it appears as though the loss of the ceramics class has brought along something even better, as students get more than just ceramics.
The Pioneer Press 