Ceramics Ornament Fundraiser

Karley Broadhed, Journalist
November 29, 2017

The leaves are changing color and the snow is beginning to fall. Well, everywhere except for the little town of Pahrump.

Ceramics Teacher Mrs. Funk

  As people are beginning to set up their Christmas decorations and purchase ugly sweaters, PVHS Teacher

Mrs. Funk is changing things up in the Ceramics Department. Funk hosted a Ceramics Ornament Fundraiser Saturday, November 18 and Monday, November 20 open to those interested in glazing their own clay ornament.

 

  Funk and most of her students pitched in and created over 500 festive ornaments whenever they had free time. These included reindeer, Christmas trees, stockings, gingerbread cookies, and even puppies.

Multiple ornaments after being bisque fired and ready to decorate.

  “I don’t mind making [the ornaments] as long as

Every table had students working on the ornaments, whether it was rolling slabs, cutting out shapes, or sanding bone dry ornaments.

students pitch in and sell them,” Funk says. “I can’t do this without help. It is something that families can do together to [prepare] for the holidays.”

 Within three days, students sold over 400 ornaments. The first time Funk held an ornament fundraiser was not as successful as she had hoped, for they had raised only around 200 dollars. This year Funk is hoping to raise around $1500 to buy a new Raku Kiln for future classes.

  Raku firing is a  Japanese style of art that is slightly more difficult process than typical firing techniques. Artwork is removed from the scalding kiln at bright red heat and then the object placed in a container of combustible materials to add unique patterns and designs on the surface of the project.

   Raku artist John Dodero, creator of Dodero Ceramics website, has been practicing this process for years. Pictured below is an example of a Raku pot, which is what Mrs. Funk wants to teach her students to create.

Dodero Studio Ceramics
Raku Pot – John Dodero 

Saturday afternoon was packed with people eager to glaze their ornaments and listen to Christmas music. The turnout was a lot greater than Funk had expected. As students began to sell more and more tickets, Funk began to wonder if they had made enough ornaments.   

 In total, Funk and her students raised about two thousand dollars with a few ornaments to spare. Everyone who glazed ornaments will be able to pick them up as soon as they are fired in time to decorate their Christmas trees.