In my view, the FMSA pottery painting event was a huge hit. On the night of the event, we all met in the entrance of the Reitz Union Art Studio. After signing in, we selected a ceramic piece to decorate and glaze colors and were left with the rest of the time to paint and chat amongst ourselves. FMSA very kindly subsidized our pieces and glazes. We didn’t get much direct guidance on ceramic glazing since the art studio staff were understandably occupied with classes, but there were instructional posters on the walls and those in our group who had done it before were able to provide suggestions. The studio provided all of the usual tools for ceramic glazing, including brushes, water bowls, and glaze in fine-tipped squeeze tubes for doing detail work. The staff even let us stay after our booked time. Our pieces were fired and ready to be picked up in two weeks, and everyone was very excited at that point to share photos with each other of their finished pieces.
This was my first time attending a social event hosted by FMSA, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a mixture of new and familiar faces upon arriving – it was really nice to catch up with everyone. The event provided us with a much-needed time to take a break, enjoy being creative without needing to perform to a certain level, and see our friends in a non-academic setting. We got to know each other in a different context too, many in our group had a surprise artistic side! A person’s art, especially art made just for themself, says a lot about them, so it was really interesting to see what everyone chose to do for their glaze designs. I also learned a lot from watching how my artistic friends approached lining and layering glazes. My impression of the mood throughout the night was that everyone really enjoyed themselves. Before the event, many of us had no idea the Union Art Studio existed! This was a great find, and I’ve made promises to come back with multiple groups of people. I’m so glad FMSA hosted this, and I hope it becomes a recurring event!
Post written by Kasey Pham, an attendee at the pottery night.