Melissa DeMaagd-Bia 

 Portfolio 

Ceramics 

 Table of Contents

 Artist Statement

 Bowls (spheres, coils)

 Correspondence Bowls

 Scar Series II

 Fragility Bowls II

 Fragility Bowls III

 Slab Bowls and Plates

Artist Statement 

Memory and personal experience influence this work. Exploring the notion of leaving marks and a reference to personal experience are evident. This work aims to convey emotions of healing and scars, to explore fragility, imperfections, and continuity. The medium of clay is elastic, flexible, malleable and free. It is fragile and imperfect. The surface of clay responds to touch. Art lets you see the world in a new way, it asks you to pay attention. Creativity is not a noun, or even a verb. It is a place, a space, a gathering, a union. For many people chaos is something to be avoided but as artists we seek it in order to turn it into something beautiful, sustainable, and lasting. Clay has a durability after it survives firing, from a soft to a permanent quality, there is a resiliency in in character. Art helps express emotions and can be an outlet for healing. There is something so intimate and vulnerable about art making and mark leaving. Just as clay is forgiving, it is also reclaimable, it has a redeeming quality. As a teacher, I want to help students express their emotions through art and creating. I hope that art can be healing for all of us. 

Bowls (spheres, coils) 

Media: Ceramic, glaze, fabric 

These bowls are an exploration of spheres and coils and combining the two techniques. I experimented with different glazes. These explore continuity, the bringing together of things, in life can never be perfectly attained. There are pieces missing and these imperfections give character to these pieces. 

Glaze: DCB 9 Cone 10, Dolomite 12.0, Colmanite 12.0, Whiting 5.6, Sopaspar 32.0, Ballclay 14.4, Silica 24.0--100.0, Rutile 5% SCPG 5 Cone 9, Dolomite 9.6, Colemanite 6.1, Whiting 9.8, Cornwall stone 45.2, Kaolin 19.7, Silica 9.6, Copper Carbonate 3% SCPG 9 Cone 9, Dolomite 9.6, Colemanite 6.1, Whiting 9.8, Cornwall stone 45.2, Kaolin 19.7, Silica 9.6, Rutile 5% Bjorn’s Robins Egg Blue Cone 6 

Correspondence Bowls 

Media: Ceramic, glaze These bowls have letters that were written to me inscribed on them. By writing them into clay there is a permanent quality to the words. When I was inscribing the words into the bowls they were very fragile and even fell apart. Now they have survived firing and intense heat and are very durable. They are very personal and intimate. By writing them out, I could reflect and process the words. 

Glaze: Mung Cone 10 

Scar Series II 

Media: Ceramic, glaze, gauze 

My scar pieces are evidence of chaos and healing. They seek out the beauty in the chaos. Many of us have been sexually abused in our growing up years. These scar pieces are an exploration of how we see our own imperfections and our reaction to them. These scar pieces were inspired by the damage but also the healing process. The scars left by abuse are not just physical but emotional as well. Scars show healing and resiliency. They also show survival and strength. 

Glaze: DCB 9 Cone 10, Dolomite 12.0, Colmanite 12.0, Whiting 5.6, Sopaspar 32.0, Ballclay 14.4, Silica 24.0--100.0, Rutile 5% SCPG 5 Cone 9, Dolomite 9.6, Colemanite 6.1, Whiting 9.8, Cornwall stone 45.2, Kaolin 19.7, Silica 9.6, Copper Carbonate 3% SCPG 9 Cone 9, Dolomite 9.6, Colemanite 6.1, Whiting 9.8, Cornwall stone 45.2, Kaolin 19.7, Silica 9.6, Rutile 5% Fragility Bowls II 

Fragility Bowls II 

Media: Ceramic, glaze The bowl series is about fragility and imperfections. The folds and thin walls at the top of the bowls reference female forms. The drips and pooling of the glaze suggests imperfections. My focus and research have included the misrepresentation of women in galleries. Glaze: DCB9, Cone 10, Dolomite 12.0, Colmanite 12.0, Whiting 5.6, Sopaspar 32.0, Ballclay 14.4, Silica 24.0--100.0, Rutile 5% 

Fragility Bowls III Media: Ceramic, glaze The bowl series is about fragility and imperfections. The folds and thin walls at the top of the bowls reference female forms. The drips and pooling of the glaze suggests imperfections. My focus and research have included the misrepresentation of women in galleries. 

Glaze: Tomoku Black, exact recipe unknown 

Slab Bowls and Plates 

Media: Ceramic, glaze This work is about the coming together of things. The rips and folds resemble scars and wounds. The green represents growth and healing. There is a certain fragility in these pieces and movement within these pieces. The glaze runs and moves. There is beauty in the raw clay next to the glaze. Glaze: Warm Jade Cone 6

Classroom Management

1) Plan curriculum ahead of time-over the summer I plan to do a lot of long-term planning. 2) Post rules and give consequences. 3) Enforce consequences for behavior-be consistent. 4) Go over expectations for students and their artwork. 5) Establish a routine. 6) Organize classroom in an understandable and user-friendly way. 7) Label everything in the classroom that students can or cannot use or have access to. 8) Post a sign saying Artists... -are good listeners -follow directions -use time wisely and complete their work -make creative choices that make their work unique -learn techniques and skills -work with the elements of art and principles of design I plan to create an effective classroom management plan by a simple set of rules and consequences that are printed and displayed in the art room. Van Gogh rarely used more than six colors on his palate. Like Van Gogh’s simple color palette my management plan does not need to be elaborate or complex. I have only the power to influence behavior by creating a classroom that my students want to be a part of and then strictly hold them accountable. I want my classroom management plan to be a contract made between my students and I that promises I will protect their right to learn and enjoy school. Once the plan is established by my students and myself by writing it together, and presenting it in class, we are bound by the contract. I need to follow it every minute of every day without exception. If I do not follow it, I am breaking my word and my students’ trust. The classroom management plan has two purposes-to state the rules of the classroom and to state exactly what will happen if those rules are broken. I do not want to include a system of rewards and incentives, because if I want really focus on behavior then I will only focus on the rules and consequences. The rewards and incentives in a short term solution that may get me through the day but it won’t actually change the behavior of my students. ! I will follow the plan of the following rules that cover every behavior that could interfere with learning and the enjoyment of the class and the consequences-if consistent will teach valuable life lessons. Rules: 1. Listen and follow directions. 2. Raise your hand before speaking or leaving your seat. 3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself. 4. Respect your classmates and your teacher. Consequences: 1st time a rule is broken: Warning-They choose a 1 or 2, 1 is they will change their behavior and 2 is they will go to the office or the principal 2nd time a rule is broken: They get a 2 which means they go to the office or the principal 3rd time a rule is broken: Letter Home 4th time a rule is broken: A meeting with parents and student with the teacher and the principal A classroom management plan, on its own, will provide little motivation for students to behave. Its usefulness is how it is implemented, enforced and carried out. For example, how I communicate with my students, the respect/leverage I have with them and how much they enjoy being a part of my classroom. I will make my classroom exciting and creative so that my students would want to be a part of class and dare not disrupt it. The rules and consequences will be displayed on two large poster boards with rules on one and consequences on the other. They should be displayed as serious and sacred as they are to the classroom. They will be put up on a wall where every one that enters the classroom will know that behaving in a manner that is most conducive to learning is a priority in my classroom.

Content, Conduct, Community Mangagement

CONTENT MANAGEMENT Content management “occurs when teachers manage space, materials, equipment, the movement of people, and lessons that are part of a curriculum or program of studies” (Boerema, 14). It is about teaching, being active, and authentic learning. I would organize my materials into cabinets with labels. I would keep all the paint in one cupboard, the glaze in another, and papers in a large cupboard. I would put all the art supplies that may be needed daily on the supply table that I will have available for students. They will be directed to the supply table to get what they need and they will be able to see what materials are there because they will be place on top of the table. These materials would be pencils, colored pencils, crayons, and markers. The students will sit at tables in groups. I will assign the seating charts for each class. I would store still life objects and books on a bookshelf. I will create a routine where the students will get to work on their projects right away and we will have a clean up portion of the hour as a closing routine. CONDUCT MANAGEMENT Conduct management “refers to the set of procedural skills that teachers employ in their attempt to address and resolve discipline problems in the classroom” (Boerema, 14). Conduct management is about behavior. Class Rules: Music--the art classroom is a place where I want students to be engaged in their work and in their peers. When a student has headphones in, they are distancing themselves from the group. I will enforce this rule because I want my students to interact with each other. Safety--the art classroom is a wonderful place to break from common core and note taking and to engage in problem-solving and creating. The materials in the classroom are not meant to be thrown nor is the art classroom a place to run around. This rule is to keep both the students and the teacher safe. Respect-this is for the students and the teacher. When the teacher respects his/her students they will respond in a similar way. When students respect their teacher they listen and follow directions and guidelines. When a teacher respects his/her students he/she listens and adjusts directions for the needs of the students. When students and teachers respect one another there is little need for discipline. Fun, creativity and effort--art is a wonderful class to be expressive and imaginative; it is a place to release from the uniformity of classes and the highly rule-governed tasks and standardized expectations. The students are expected to put in their best effort in the creative process. Art is about the process as well as the final product. A student who puts effort into making their work will do well in the art classroom. I will want to lay out the rules of the classroom the first day and throughout the year. I will want make my expectations clear. I would also want my students to help each other, respect, and value one another. I would implement Assertive Discipline by letting students know the set of escalating consequences or punishments for undesirable behavior. I would also differ my discipline based on what is affective for each individual student. I would also want to use effective instructional techniques so that students will be engaged and will have less opportunity to misbehave. I will constantly be walking around and working one on one with the students so that I can be “with it” by monitoring (Oakes and Lipton, 262). I will “define and enforce rules for student behavior that allow them to teach” (Oakes and Lipton, 253). I will encourage good behavior and I will talk one-on-one with a student who displays negative behavior. I promise to allow and encourage students to make choices in their work by designing different ways to meet the learning objective. I will provide time for independent and extended projects. I promise to hold students accountable for the consequences of their choices. I promise to provide reasons for rules by explaining, and respecting rules and constraints in the way that I behave. I promise to use authentic tasks that are connected to real-life problems and situations that students will face outside the classroom. The teacher will provide learning goals, and clear directions for activities; the teacher will provide a good learning environment and have organized materials. The teacher will be aware of the classroom and manage accordingly. The students will obey the rules and accept the consequences; the student will be an encourager, an active participate in the classroom, and be a positive influence on others. Some specific procedures or actions I would take are appropriate use of encouragement, group and individual skills, a range of consequences. I will promote respect for others and their belongings, encouragement and community. I will promote community by having no headphones in the classroom but also group or partner projects. I will pay attention to individuals skills of each student. The range of consequences will vary by offense and the rewards will vary by what action was done. COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT Community management “focuses on the classroom group as a social system having its own features that teachers take into account when managing interpersonal relationships in the classroom” (Boerema, 14). One way of giving of respect and valuing those we encounter is by showing both respect and value to my students. I hope to make a positive impact on their lives. I believe that passionate teachers make a difference in students lives; as well as make the subjects they teach more interesting. Humans are created to be curious, to wonder and to want to learn. We are curious and creative beings and learning should be discussed, shared and enjoyed. Learning helps you to see the world in a new way, and asks you to pay attention. A positive learning environment grows from the teacher showing respect to the students and vice versa. The classroom should be a safe environment where all students can learn and feel comfortable. It should be a place where students can express themselves and be free to learn in many different ways. There should be a trusting relationship between student and teacher in and outside the classroom. When students are interested in the lessons and each student is challenged in their learning they will most likely not need to be disciplined. I would like them to be interested in what they are learning. Likewise, I need to be passionate about what I teach. I need to be passionate about what I teach, because then I can create new and interesting ways to teach and to learn. I believe that if a good learning environment is available with the materials needed, the students are engaged and the teacher is passionate, a classroom can be transformed into a learning community. I also believe that the teaching content should be personalized to each student. I would help the students put the course material in their personal contexts. I would also change the format of the classroom to allow for team-based learning and face-to-face interactions. I will attend outside of school programs (ex: plays, sporting events) to show students my investment in the school and in them, so that we can build respect and an appropriate relationship.

Why Create?

I often visit and revisit the question; why Create? I know that the fact that even approaching this question is not actually finding a definition, but it is about opening up what creation can be. -To express ourselves -To be fully human -As an affirmation of our existence -To share with others -To entertain (ourselves and others) -To surprise -To capture a moment -To expand (to delve into the throes of our imaginations...come out covered in a mush of possibilities) -To imagine -To escape -To center ourselves -To relieve stress -To calm down -To make something personal -Because creating is like breathing -Because it is natural and part of us to create -We are always creating whether we know it or not -To give meaning to the ordinary -To get a thought/idea/concept/picture out of one’s head onto paper, canvas, walls, clay...to give tangible form to something intangible -To problem solve -To know we are not alone -To be different -To communicate -To send an idea or message -To make the world a more interesting place -To show a part of one’s self that can’t be put into words -To experiment -To find a new perspective -To stimulate others to think or wonder -To notice the overlooked -To slow down -To remember -To feel connected This list recognizes our humanness, and recognizing requires us to pay attention. Pay attention, perhaps, to the texture under your feet, the taste of an old stamp, the veins of your grandmother’s hands...pay attention to the overlooked kid in the hall, the needs of your world, the longing in your heart, your desire to see, to create, to give. It is amazing to me to be able to create and learn from other people’s creations. When I see others creating and making art it makes me want to keep on going because I saw them creating, pursuing, and exploring ideas. Being in a community of creators and fellow artists helps me see the importance of creating even when you feel like you can’t. Art taught me that I can create--and that the joy isn’t just about ability, talent, or the end product. I learned that the process is often as valuable to me as the end result. The act of creating and making with others has given me confidence in my past work and...in art to come.

The Value of Art

The Value of Art Art levels the playing field. Art helps creativity, and problem-solving in other areas of life. Art can be enjoyed, discussed and shared. Art lets you see the world in a new way. Art asks you to pay attention. Art allows you to be fully human.

Art cannot just be “nice”...

Art is not just about something being beautiful or nice to look at. It is something that should start a conversation, it should not be about the size or quantity. It should be about the quality and go beyond the size of the work and skill of the artist. Art should be able to be looked at by the viewer and find something compelling and ask questions like: What am I looking at? What made it worth putting on display? What comforts me? What challenges me? Then ask: How was the object made? How does it hold together visually? How do shape, color, pattern, texture, etc. all work in concert together? Why was this work made from the perspective of the creator, the audience? Why was I drawn to it? Why is it of a certain time and place? Why is it timeless? Art cannot just be “nice” because art should help the viewer grow, by asking questions and using knowledge.