Broken Pineapples and Bunny Baskets

Students continued their exploration of air dry clay by adding color and surface decoration to their vessels.

They began by applying a coat of white paint, followed by colorful acrylic paint, then used acrylic markers for fine details. 

All artists know that making art isn’t always fun – some days it can be downright challenging. Students learned this lesson firsthand as many experienced the fragility of air dry clay for the first time. One student became upset when his pineapple figurine broke, but calmed down once Maria told him that learned that frustration is normal when making art, especially when things don’t go the way the artist intended. After spending some time apart from his work, the student returned with fresh eyes and energy, ready to fix his sculpture. 

Another student is often hypercritical of her work and rarely sees her projects through to completion. This time, Maria encouraged her to preserve her work and keep a close eye on it to avoid another accident. The final result was a beautifully detailed basket with fruits – a huge accomplishment for this student!

Maria's work at Hudson Guild is supported by the Emergency Arts Education Fund, which provides free arts education to NYC school communities whose art programs have been decimated by recent budget cuts.

Children’s Museum of the Arts’ three Residents Artists are currently implementing ambitious arts curriculum at each of our partner sites throughout New York City: Hudson Guild in Chelsea, Sid Miller Academy in Crown Heights, and Children’s Workshop School in the East Village. Come spring, our residents will showcase their students' work through exhibitions and installations across the city. Learn how you can support the work of our residents here.