New Dyeing and Broken School Kiln

I am a full time middle school art teacher.  I'm sure I mentioned that before. Well, I found out on Monday from the school district electrician that my kiln  would cost $700 to fix and due to it's age and condition, it was not worth it.  A new one, of the size and quality needed for the amount of projects that are fired yearly, would cost about $2800 to buy and install. Over the last fifteen years, 2700 children have learned how to think and create in a three dimensional way, making 4500 unique clay projects through the Flamson visual arts program.  The students love to work in clay.  It is such a responsive, forgiving media in which to create a variety of things, as you can see below.

This is a ceramic personality box made by an 8th grader showing aspects of her personality.

These ethnic ceramic masks were made by 7th graders.

Four classes were finished making their pinch and coiled pots and two others were in the middle of making their gothic gargoyles and mythic creatures. They were in the drying cage awaiting their first firing, known as the bisque firing.  When they are in this state, they are extremely fragile.
Fortunately, my wonderful colleagues at the high school and other middle school, have pitched in to help me with getting them fired.  Unfortunately, I had to box up 120 fragile projects and cart them around to the schools.  Today, I have to unload and reload the kiln at Lewis.  Tomorrow, I;m hoping to get the projects black that were fired at the high school, and then on Tuesday, go back to get the balance of them at Lewis.

Then students will glaze these, and I'll need to ask my great colleagues to re-fire all of them and pack them up and drive them around town.  I'm hoping not to break any projects in the process.

Our district is broke, our state has not been funding education as it should be for many years and there isn't any money for a new kiln, so I'm now trying to figure out some fundraising.  So it's been a very busy week, without much time for my own art.

I did manage to have fun dyeing the piece below by scrunching it up and wrapping it in some netting, like the type found around bags of onions.  Then I applied the dye, using a syringe.  I like how some of the white remains in this piece, giving it some great contrast and sparkle.