| From the pages of Pottery Making Illustrated
Instructor's File: Pardon Me, Your Slip is Showing by Annie Chrietzberg
| Most of us have shared a studio with others at some point in our
ceramics lives. Group studio experiences are important for learning,
sharing knowledge, getting feedback and providing support for potters
at every stage of development. How well this positive group studio
experience works is a function of the cooperation and behavior of the
individual members. We were curious about what makes successful group
studios tick, so we conducted a short online survey. Here’s what we
discovered:
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Without a Trace
Our respondents overwhelmingly stated that cleaning up was the number one issue in their group studio. They mentioned repeatedly that they hate to arrive at their creative space and spend the beginning of their valued creative time cleaning up after someone else before they can start working on their own projects.
If you think someone might not notice if you leave your splash pan a little bit messy, or that you don’t wipe up after your wedging efforts, think again. In studios where people are using more than one standard clay body, vigilant cleaning of surfaces and equipment becomes even more of an issue. One person wrote, “We have various clays available to us, and since I often use porcelain, I end up cleaning wheels, wedging table, handbuilding table, bats, etc., before I can even start to work.”
Brooks Bouwkamp, the kiln technician at the South Bend Regional Museum of Art in South Bend, Indiana, puts it nicely: “It takes everyone working together to keep a large studio clean and organized. I encourage all of my students, and anyone using the studio, to clean up their work area as soon as they’re finished. This includes cleaning the wheel that was used and mopping up the floor around the wheel. When handbuilding, the table or work surface that was used must be wiped down and all of the tools should be put away.” Brooks leads by example. He says that, “Although there are signs posted throughout the studio, I find that the best way to keep the studio in shape is to be a positive example. I do all that I can to keep my personal studio clean and organized so that everyone who passes through will see an example of what is expected of them while using the community space.”
Did You Ask?
While the messy work area topped the list, borrowing things without permission and not returning tools to where they belonged ranked as the second biggest annoyance in the group studio. It was surprising how many times the word “theft” popped up in the survey responses, and the anonymity of the survey probably revealed something that an open discussion in a studio would not. So, you should assume that you should always ask before borrowing something. And once you do borrow something, you’re responsible for its condition while you have it, and returning it as soon as you’re finished using it.
Ssssshh!
Many people weighed in with various examples of disruptive behavior as their pet peeve. Generally, it’s up to the teacher or the owner of the studio to set the tone. The problem is that some teachers don’t seem to realize it, or know how to do it, and it’s obvious from the survey that there are some behavioral issues out there that need to be addressed.
“No cell phone conversations. Please put the phone on vibrate and take your conversation outside,” wrote one person. Most everyday phone conversations can really happen at another time. Even someone getting up to take the conversation outside can be disruptive to a class that is in session. All cell phones should be turned off, or ideally not even brought into the studio during a class. Treat yourself and others to a short period of isolation and the opportunity to really concentrate on, and be with, your clay.
The Golden Rule
Most of the problems occurring in group studios come from a lack of attention to the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Clay-euphoria is distracting to beginners, and as people settle into a studio, there’s a feeling of belonging, which can be a great thing, except when that mutates into people thinking that the rules don’t apply to them or a “just this once” seems justifiable. Seeing a mess left is painful to the rule-abiding people who make an extra effort to clean up, and if it happens over and over again, even the tidy people eventually give up. One person wrote, “Once the mess reaches a certain level, everyone abdicates responsibility.”
Ideally everyone who takes a ceramics class would be grounded, polite, self-aware and tidy. Well, none of us can check off that list everyday, but we can all strive to be better studio-mates. We can keep the conversation light and pleasant, we can share space and equipment cordially, and cheerfully clean up our own messes. One person really summed it up well: “If you can’t collect yourself and focus enough to respect your own creative work and if you can’t refrain from disrupting the quietude and cleanliness of the space, so that others can work in peace, then you don’t belong here.” And my other favorite comment from the survey is, “Smile and approach your work with a sense of humor. Laugh a lot, especially at yourself.” After all, it’s only mud.
Annie Chrietzberg is a studio potter working and living in Denver, CO. For comments or suggestions on future surveys, you can contact her through her website at www.earthtoannie.com.
| Survey Results
We asked PMI readers working in a group situation what bothered them the most in their studios. Here’s what topped the list.
1. Equipment left broken
2. Borrowing stuff without permission
3. Others not maintaining studio
4. Disruptive behavior
5 Forcing work into full kiln
6. Space hogs
7. Dirty wheel
8. Tools not put away
9. Glaze spills/dirty brushes
10. Foreign objects in reclaim
On the Lighter Side
Many readers made rule suggestions we thought worthy of note.
1. No long nails!
2. Everyone must contribute a texture stamp for the studio.
3. Encourage the novice.
4. Smile and approach your work with a sense of humor. Laugh a lot, especially at yourself.
5. Treat the studio as you would want to be treated: with kindness and respect.
6. Pot not have name, not go near flame.
7. Everyone’s art has importance.
8. It’s just clay until it’s fired, then it’s landfill! |
| Studio mates Larry Smith and Donna Wallace sharing space nicely. Our
PMI Reader Survey on Studio Etiquette reveals the Golden Rule rules!
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Teacher Heather Jones demonstrating total wheel cleanup. She tells her students, “Leave the wheel as you would like to find it.”
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Chart 1: Teacher Heather Jones demonstrating total wheel cleanup. She
tells her students, “Leave the wheel as you would like to find it.”
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Chart 2: To our surprise, less than half the studios post rules about studio etiquette. Want a list of rules for your studio? You can download one here.
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Chart 3: Who is responsible for the condition of the studio? 65% of respondents said “All of us.” |
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