Coginchaug art teacher Mr. Ryan Bothamley describes how pottery class, located in room 134, is “all about one material which is capable of doing many different things.” Mr. Bothamley says the CRHS half-year pottery class has become much more popular over the years due to “a resurgence of pottery; there’s been a do-it-yourself (DIY) movement which has brought more homemade pottery into people’s kitchens.”

There are twelve students in this semester’s pottery class which is the maximum capacity due to the amount of equipment such as wheels and also because of the smaller size of the classroom. Pottery is open to all grades in CRHS, with the exception of having to take either drawing or art foundations as a prerequisite. Pottery 2 is also offered to students who have taken Pottery which is “a step further and more independent,” described Bothamley.

Pottery runs as a busy, “hands-on and messy class,” reported Bothamley. Each student built a piece of pottery, which replicates a researched historical piece, using the coil method. Sculptures that are currently in the making include slab-built bases and sculpting projects.

Through techniques of decoration in clay such as slip inlay, sprigging, marbling and combing clips, and incising and carved relief, students who are taking pottery class are learning “the appreciation for art-making through their hands,” expressed Bothamley.

Bothamley encourages students to take up pottery class because it is a “speciality class; there is no other class like pottery.”