Learning How to Throw Pottery

Last year, Baldwin had a mysterious case of disappearing kitchenware. It got personal when my favorite mug disappeared, nowhere to be found! The tragic loss of my one and only mug spurred me to action; I was not going to buy a new mug, I was going to make a new mug. I was going to learn how to throw pottery.

Oberlin’s pottery co-op is a very unique, very wonderful student organization. To join the co-op, you need to attend an orientation session and put in six service hours over the course of the semester. Whereas most pottery studios are highly cost-prohibitive, the pottery co-op is widely accessible to both students and community members. Since this is such a rare opportunity, learning pottery has been on my Oberlin bucket list since first year. I never made it into the exco as an underclassman, so the pottery dream stayed on the back burner until Baldwin’s kitchen ghost intervened.

I called a friend of mine who was a member of the pottery co-op, and we spent a couple of rainy days with them teaching me the basics of throwing pottery. We didn’t actually succeed in making anything, and I never quite got the hang of centering, which is the essential first step to throwing. Despite our valiant attempts, the semester soon got busy and I had to accept temporary defeat. I bought another mug, but resolved that by the time I graduate, I will throw the perfect mug. 

At the start of this semester, I applied for the beginner pottery wheel exco once more. And this time, I made it in! At our first meeting, the instructor gave a throwing demonstration and I realized why I had never been able to center. I had never learned how to properly anchor against the clay. This was a total game changer just on day one! We finished class early, but another student and I stayed for some optional throwing time. We each threw a bowl. 

The next week, we started to talk about trimming. Trimming is the next step after throwing, where you remove a lot of excess clay and clean up the piece before it fully dries. The first time I tried trimming, it was going great, until the floor of the bowl suddenly collapsed. The second time, I was a lot more careful. I also watched a video beforehand and learned how to trim a foot into the bowl, which helps to distribute the weight of the piece more evenly. Now that piece is dry and waiting to be bisque-fired. This week, our homework was to throw a piece that we can trim during tonight’s class. I threw, you guessed it, another bowl (narrower/taller pieces require a little more confidence than I currently have). This time I added a wavy rim to it, and I’m very happy with how it’s looking so far. 

In addition to providing an excellent education in pottery, this class has been helpful in a way I didn’t anticipate. This semester, I am at my busiest yet, which is truly saying something. Between my jobs, course work, and grad school applications, I am glued to my laptop and constantly working. This class is a great balancer in my schedule. It forces me to prioritize doing something fun, artistic, and good for my sanity, at least once a week. With pottery, you have to be completely present. I can’t easily access my phone or laptop while throwing. It’s the perfect reset to start the week. 

I can’t wait to keep learning and throwing throughout the year. Let my fourth-year pottery adventures serve as a reminder that Oberlin has so many artistic communities and spaces to engage with, and it’s never too late to start!